Cat's Dream
by Shinigami29
Summary: Mariah has these strange dreams. Tyson has a few secrets. Chapter 41: The end... or is it?
1. Dreams and Worries

Hello, I'm Shinigami29 (aka. Ami). This is my first story on ff.net, so go easy on me. If you have any tidbits on how I could write better stories. PLEASE TELL ME! I thrive for information on how to make my writing better, so it'll be greatly appreciated!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade. If I did, I would be rich, and not begging you not to rat me out so that I don't get sued!  
  
Dreams and Worries  
  
The rays of light were dancing with the playful hands of the apple tree, while the whispers of wind tried to soothe the crying girl sitting on a rock on the river bed. She watched as the fish leapt in and out of their watery homes, in futile attempt to wash away her tears. Nothing could stop her from crying...  
  
'First Ray is hitting on me,' she said aloud for her spirit friends to hear. 'He thinks I still have that stupid school girl crush on him. Then Lee kicks me out of the team because he is jealous of Ray. Then I move to Egypt, and get my blade stolen, and now I'm having a terrible dream!'  
  
Now what, you might ask, is so terrible about her dream. Well compared to her other dreams, this is a night mare. In this pink haired angel's dreams, the sun shines it's brightest, while Galux races about, trying to find Drigger in a lush land. Apple trees grew all around, for that was her favourite fruit, and a rich river flowed through a golden meadow filled with the random flower and flocked with doves...  
  
Her dream now was not like that. A storm had washed away all the beauty, and all that remained was a single apple tree, by her favourite rock by the river bed... And that's how he found her.  
  
'Hello,' he whispered, and the pink angel turned to meet the eyes of another angel... 'What are you doing in my realm?'  
  
'Y-your realm?' came the pink beauty's reply. 'This is my dream, how could you say it's your realm?'  
  
'Simple,' his answer once again came in a whisper. 'This is my dream realm you've intruded on. You dream realm is very close to mine, and since you've been crying, I'm guessing that the fates want me here to comfort you...' He came up to the pink beauty, and wrapped his arms around her, making her feel safer, and slightly dizzy. 'So, what's your name?'  
  
'My name,' she repeated. All that was on her mind right now was who this boy could be, so she foolishly told him. 'My name is Mariah... What's yours?'  
  
He gave her a loving grin, before telling her two words...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Mariah woke up with a start. She couldn't believe that dream, she couldn't believe anything like that would ever happen to her, she had to tell someone before she went insane! But who to tell?  
  
'I don't have any friends here, so that takes out that option. I can't tell the White Tigers, because they don't care. And Ray...' She groaned. 'If Ray found out, he'd go ballistic.'  
  
She got dressed and brushed her hair, trying to think of a way to make Ray believe that she didn't like him that way anymore... She smiled at a strange thought.  
  
"Maybe," she whispered. "Maybe I could find him a blind date, he could fall in love, I could go back to the White Tigers, tell then about the dream, and all worries and doubts would be gone." She smiled again, before frowning. "That would never work, Ray would find out about the dream, think I'm sick or something, take care of me for who knows how long, and fall in lo- Think we would have a chance together."  
  
She had almost said it. That 4 letter word that she so dreaded. That stupid word got her into the whole mess, so she really didn't need it... She sighed, and walked out the door of her small house, ready to face the world again. Who knows, maybe she'd meet that boy... 


	2. Dragon's Gaze

Well, I'm definitely not in a writers block ^_^ so I get to write more! Oh, before I forget, there is slight language in this chapter, nothing serious though! *in all powerful voice* I am the great Ami, and all shall read my story, *normal voice* just kidding! Damn I'm hyper. It's strange, on the outside, I'm really calm, but on the inside, I have this really annoying, really hyper voice that interferes with my thoughts. Guess I'm going insane. Oh well, on with chapter 2!  
  
Dragon's Gaze  
  
He was bored. Having to sit on a chair, and carried around by servants. Most people would love having servants carry them around Egypt all day, but he hated it. He thought it was both humiliating and disrespectful. If one of his friends saw him, he would most likely die of shame.  
  
But of course, they couldn't see him. They were in Japan, and to see him all the way in Egypt would be imposable. He had about 11 people making sure that he knows where they are at all times, so even if they flew out to Egypt, he'd have time to convince his mother to let him put up that mask for his friends. He wanted to be a kid...  
  
Of course, he had to grow up at the age of three, learning how to rule an Empire that doesn't need ruling! And it was true! Egypt is now being run by government, and the royal family is only its councilor members. But he did have to follow his mother's wishes for him to learn what his ancestors did...  
  
He sighed. Not only would he have to live a boring life as a councilor, but he'd have to marry at 16. And that was two more years this coming Sunday.  
  
'I have to get married,' he thought. 'I wonder what unlucky soul will have to marry me.' The Dragon looked around his country, searching for his future wife, but didn't see her anywhere. 'This is no use. If I want to find someone, I have to be on my own two feet. Not being carried around in a chair.'  
  
He took out his bag and his cloak, and put them both on, making sure that his bag was completely covered by the cloak. He told the servants to lower the chair, and left for the growing crowds. He headed for an alleyway close by, and knew he would be safe. The dragon tugged the hood of his cloak above his Head to avoid the strange looks he was getting, and continued on his path.  
  
When the Little Dragon got to the alleyway, he heard voices, and instantly tuned into them. They were saying things about Beyblade. The Little Dragon smiled, but them he froze, not sure if he hard what those voices said were true.  
  
"So, your saying that you stole that blade," the first voice said.  
  
"Yeah, from some that hot chick that moved in down the street last week," the second voice said. "You know that pink haired girl."  
  
This made the Dragon's face pale. There was only one pink haired 'chick' that he knew of, and coincidently, she was kicked out of the White Tigers and disappeared from the face of the earth last week. Mariah. He started walking toward the voices, hoping that he was wrong. He wasn't...  
  
"Hello gentlemen," he said calmly. "I see you have stolen yourself a Beyblade."  
  
"Why, yes we have," the second one said. "You interested in buying it or something?"  
  
"Who, me?" the Dragon stated innocently. "I'm not planning on buying anything," he pulled down his hood and looked at the paled faces of the boys. "I thought you might just give it to me." And give it to him they did. They gave him the blade, and ran away like bats out of hell. The Little Dragon sighed for the umpteenth time that day. Now he had to return the blade to a girl that he hadn't seen is a year, and didn't even get along with then. He sighed again.  
  
'Might as well get this over with,' he thought. 'Then I can go home and lock myself in my room.' He started to a street where he heard that a girl moved into with her aunt. He asked around a bit and found out that she lived in the house on the very end. That house had the most shade out of them all.  
  
Everyone wanted that house. It had a beautiful view of the palace's oasis, and it had tons of shade. That's why it cost a fortune to buy. The house came into view. It itself was very beautiful. A Beautiful three story house and the large balcony had the view of the oasis.  
  
The Dragon scaled the side of the house easily, and did a quick search of the foundation. Then, see as no one was there, he decided to just leave the blade there. He entered the room that he supposed belonged to the pink haired teen, and sat on the bed.  
  
The room was very nice. The bed was a dark blue, lined with the palest of pink, and the see through curtains all around the room were a contrast between the two colours. Normally, he would have said that he hated the room, but this was different. The room looked, breathtaking. It inspired him.  
  
He took out his paper and his pencil and began to draw. Of what couldn't be determined at first, but as he carried on, you could see that it was of an angel with Egyptian robes on, and cats of all sizes scattered around. Next he took out his coloured pencils out. He started with the girl.  
  
Her waist length hair he coloured pink. Her skin was pale. Her eyes... what colour were her eyes? He had been relaying on memory the whole time, and he couldn't remember her eyes. He sigh again, reached into his pile of colours, and drew out a golden almond colour. This would be her eyes, weather they were right or wrong, they would be the colour of her eyes.  
  
He finished colouring the picture, and placed it lovingly on her bed. After placing her Beyblade beside it, he left the house, knowing that she would never figure out who put them their. What he didn't remember, was that he signed that picture. Right down in the bottom right corner, is neat handwriting, was the name, 'Tyson.' 


	3. Cat Naps

Thank you, the 2 whole people that reviewed. I really appreciate it. I can't believe I haven't got any flames! I thought people would detest this couple. Oh well, even if people didn't like this couple, I'd still write about it. On with the story!  
  
Cat Naps  
  
Mariah had been walking around for awhile when she saw him. He was walking toward the old Egyptian Palace, wearing a cloak that resembled the one the White Tigers wore in Russia. There were, of course, some key differences. For one, the cloak was trimmed in what looked like real gold.  
  
Something about the boy drew her in, so she followed him, making sure to stay a good distance away from him. He paused. She did too. He looked around, as if confused, and started out in a different direction.  
  
'That's strange,' the Mountain Cat thought. 'I could have sworn that he was heading to that creepy palace, and now... Now he's heading in the opposite direction...'  
  
She continued to follow him. He made many turns, and moved swiftly, but she never lost him. She was trained in harsher environments, so how could she lose 1 guy she was following. Simple, he turned a corner, she turned the corner slowly to meet him, and he wasn't there. She looked around franticly, but didn't see him anywhere.  
  
'That's not possible,' she thought. 'There is just no way could anyone disappear into thin air,' she noticed a piece of paper. 'Hello, what's this?' She picked it up and looked at it. She couldn't believe what it said. 'There is just no way possible that this guy would know me. He couldn't know me, could he?'  
  
She dropped the paper and started walking backwards, as if were dangerous... as if it was deadly...  
  
She didn't see it lying their. She had followed him while he wore that bag, but she didn't notice it. And he thought taking it off would do no harm. But then, he isn't always right now, is he...  
  
Mariah, the pink haired angel, the Mountain Cat... she tripped over his bag. She had fainted on the way down. But if she didn't, she would have felt the arms of a boy wrapping around her. Saving her from a week in bed... Saving her from Darkness...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
She opened her eyes, taking in the breathtaking sight. She didn't recognize this dreamland, for it was two different worlds...  
  
She stood on a rock, in the middle of a stream, that separated the two different worlds. One of the worlds was barren, like a desert, with the tall forms of pyramids in the distance. The other was of a lush forest, with mountains in the back round. The trees cut out to make a beautiful meadow, with flowers randomly thrown around. And doves. Lots of doves...  
  
It reminded her of her dream, her sanctuary, but something was missing... Galux! Galux wasn't here, and wouldn't be there for awhile, if possible, never.  
  
She sat down, a new wave of sadness coming to her. She felt the weight of everything on her shoulders, and she couldn't hold it in any longer. She cried. She cried and she cried. She cried until she couldn't cry anymore...  
  
'I'll never see her again,' she murmured. 'And I'll be alone my whole life.'  
  
'No you won't...'  
  
The voice was soft, but to Mariah, it was so very clear. She looked up and saw that mysterious boy. She whipped away her tears, crossing the stream to him. She stood there in front of him. She tried to see past that ever present shadow that covered his face. Tried to see past his flowing cloak...  
  
He opened his arms and pulled her close, not giving her a chance to get away. She relaxed into his embrace, and he pulled her closer.  
  
'You'll never be alone with me here,' he whispered. 'I won't let you be alone,' he stroked her back, soothing her even more. 'I'll never leave you...'  
  
She smiled at his words, and looked up at the grey eyed angel! His last words from when they met before came to her mind, and her smile turned from trusting to... loving.  
  
'I know Little Dragon,' her eyes danced with amusement. 'I know...' 


	4. A Dragon's Care

Hey, Ami here! I'm writing another chapter! I'm hyper again! The weird thing is that I haven't had any sugar today... Okay, ideas are coming a bit slower, but I'll manage. Oh yeah, thought I'd just say, Destiny's Angel, I know that this story is strange, but I thought TxM would be neat to do. Oh and Ray hitting on Mariah is just for the sake of the story. He understands later when they and he gets a girlfriend. Just haven't figured out who it will be yet. Oh and thanks to NickeyWhite2, and rita d. for reviewing, I really appreciate it! Hope you enjoy the chapter! Bye^_^  
  
A Dragon's Care  
  
'I can't believe that happened,' an annoying voice in Tyson's head said. 'You just had to leave your bag there you couldn't leave it anywhere else.'  
  
Tyson sighed; he'd been doing that a lot lately. Right now he was walking back to Mariah's neat little house... carrying Mariah the whole way.  
  
'The way she seems to be clinging to me,' Tyson thought, being careful that annoying voice didn't come back. 'I would say that she was having a very good dream. Probable about Ray...' The Little Dragon felt strange at that thought, but he pushed it away. 'Their probable together, in their village, having a great time...' Her house was in sight, so he didn't have time to dwell on his feelings.  
  
He scaled the wall again, being careful not to wake the slumbering girl, and sat on the balcony. After a minute, he placed her on a chair he had used many times in the past, when he came here with *her,* and pulled a silver flute from his bag. He smiled.  
  
'I wonder what the guys would say to this,' he thought. 'Not only I'm a civilized, and rich person, but I draw, paint, and play the flute,' his smile grew. 'They would think I was an alien from outer space, and demand that I bring back the real Tyson.'  
  
He closed his eyes and placed his lips on the flute. He played a long and beautiful peace, before heading inside to find the first aid kit. He walked to the bathroom, and opened the medicine cabinet. He brought out some disinfectant and some bandages, and walked back to the balcony. Once their, he tugged of his hood, and went to his task.  
  
Their were only one or two cuts from scaling the building, but the desert air could infect any sort of cut, no matter how small. After he finished with her, he moved onto himself.  
  
He had his back to her, so he didn't see her stir, but he did hear her. His first reflex was to put his hood on, and then he started for the edge of the balcony. He moved two steps before realizing that she had the hem of his cloak. He slowly turned around; making sure that his hood cast a shadow over his face.  
  
His eyes met hers, cool grey met almond gold, and she spoke.  
  
"Well kind sir," she whispered. "You may be breaking an entry, but I'm sure that this will be the last time you do. Will you please tell me what your name in, and how I got here."  
  
Tyson smiled, she didn't know who he was. That made is so much easier.  
  
"No, this won't be the last time I do so," he whispered him a deadly tone, hoping to scare her from asking anymore questions. It worked. "I will not tell you my name, for royalty has no need to," his smile grew at the look on her face. He took a few steps closer, and gently took her chin. Their faces were only inches apart. "And I carried you here." With that he let her go and jumped off the balcony, doing a fancy flip to save him from breaking his neck. Then he turned.  
  
He saw her staring at him, with her almond eyes...  
  
'So, I was right about the almond eyes. Fate must be with me.'  
  
He brought his fingers to his mouth and let out a shrill whistle, to which a bird answered, and landed, on his shoulder.  
  
'Another thing they wouldn't believe,' he though weekly. 'I'm great with animals.'  
  
He took out a piece of paper and wrote a small message, tied it to the bird's leg, and sent it to the pink haired girl. After that, he gave her one last gaze, and headed toward the palace.  
  
Once he got their, he went straight to his study. He sat down at his desk and started another picture...  
  
He put a light line down the middle, and drew a mountain lion on one side. With the lion, he drew Mariah. He gave her wings again, she looked great with wings. And put his pencil down.  
  
"Why am I drawing her?" he asked himself. "Why is she so important?"  
  
Another idea hit his head before he could answer that. He picked up his pencil again, and drew a long, thin blade in Mariah's hand. Then he went to the other side. He drew a girl standing; she was wearing a long dress apposed to Mariah's Egyptian clothes. She also had a blade and wings, although, were Mariah was in a Defensive position; she was in an attack position.  
  
Her hair was longer; it reached her knees, and she had a panther lying behind her. Next he drew collars on the panther and the mountain lion. Both had three jewels. He also drew bands around both girls' wrists and around both the panther ant the mountain lion's paws. Now he started to colour...  
  
He kept Mariah's wings white, with hints of gold and pink in them, and coloured her clothes gold, hemmed with a dark, almost red, pink. The blade he kept white, and drew three jewels on it. Two of them were blue, and the middle one was red. Her wrist bands were the same.  
  
The mountain lion's collar was gold, with three jewels in it making the same pattern as Mariah's blade, and the bands around her paws were also gold, apposing the panther's collar and bands.  
  
The panther's collar was silver with three jewels. But instead of two blue jewels and one red one, it had two red jewels and one blue one. Her bands, like her collar, were silver.  
  
And the girl; the girl wore a black dress, hemmed in red. Her wrist bands were also red, and her long hair was coloured black. The black was accompanied by red streaks, and her wings. her wings were tainted black, with hints of white and red in them. Her eyes he drew carefully. They were violet, with red flaked into the middle.  
  
Next, he coloured the back round. He coloured Mariah's side navy blue, and the girl's side crimson red...  
  
It was done, he had finally finished it. He found a wooden frame and put it on the wall. Looking at it, he couldn't help but feel proud of himself for doing such a great picture. But it still looked empty to his eyes...  
  
He took out a knife from his desk, and carved something out on the frame. Then, finally feeling content, he left to find his bed, to the welcoming realm of his dreams.  
  
To anyone passing by, that picture would be just another masterpiece done by the Little Dragon, but to anyone who really looked at it, they would see the words carved into the frame. 'The Doves of War...' 


	5. Confronting a Dragon

Hey! I'm back and as hyper as ever! Though I still haven't had much sugar today; I'm not ripping my hair out; and I'm not running around like mad. Guess that's a good that. *Evil annoying voice from Ami's head* 'write the story already! They don't want to hear you talk!' Alright, alright. I'll write, I'll write. Well I hope you like the chapter! BYE^_^  
  
Confronting a Dragon  
  
'Who was he?' The Mountain Cat asked herself. 'And why am I even thinking of him?! I'm exposed to be the little girl who's in lo- likes Ray.'  
  
She almost said it again, that dreaded word. The word she wanted nothing to do with anymore. THAT word got her into trouble, and there was no way she'd trust even saying it again.  
  
"But I don't like Ray, do I," she mumbled to herself. She sat on her bed and reread the letter that boy had given her.  
  
'Dear Mariah,  
  
I hope that you're okay. The only reason that I broke into your house is because I needed to give you your Beyblade back. It's on your desk.  
  
Until Next time, Egyptian Prince'  
  
"Let's see," she said aloud. "He said he put my Beyblade on my desk." She went to look at her Beyblade for the thousandth time since she read the letter, then she looked at the picture beside it. "But he never said anything about this picture," she picked up and noticed the name. "Tyson... Where have I heard that name before?" She sighed. "I can't think this late at night."  
  
The Mountain Cat got changed into her pajamas, and collapsed into her bed. She smiled, remembering what she would be going to, and fell asleep.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
As the pink haired angel opened her eyes, she smelled flowers, which made her smile more, knowing that she was in the meadow. Her meadow...  
  
She gazed out toward the barren desert, and her smile disappeared. She remembered what the little dragon said before.....  
  
He said that dreams are what you are inside. He also said that the fates brought their dream realms together, and that it wasn't always going to be him she was talking to.  
  
She sat down under an apple tree, thinking about what he had said.  
  
'"I'm real, you know", the Little Dragon said. "I'm just an image of myself, here to keep you company, while the real me is awake..."  
  
"But, why do you need to?" She foolishly asked. She saw his pained look and tried to reword everything. "I mean, its no-"  
  
"Don't," he said. "I'll be nearby for when you need me," he turned away, making Mariah feel guilty. "But I can't come back until you figure out who I really am now, okay..."  
  
"...Alright..." with that, he disappeared, still with a paned look on his shadowed face. 'I can't believe I said that,' she hugged her knees, not wanting to see the world. 'Why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut and enjoy his company?'  
  
'Don't be sad child,' said a voice. She looked up into the face of a Dragon. 'Just because you can't see something, doesn't mean its not there.'  
  
The pink haired girl didn't say a thing, just embraced the friendly beast, and cried for a long time. After awhile, she remembered the dragon. She pulled back and looked at the dragon more, just to make sure it was true.  
  
The Dragon was huge and beautiful blue in colour. His eyes were darker, wiser, older, then anything else. But all in all, he looked extremely friendly. And extremely powerful...  
  
'Dragoon?' she said weakly. 'Is that you?' The Storm Dragon nodded. 'Shouldn't you be in Tyson's d- Tyson! That's where I heard that name from!'  
  
Dragoon smiled, and told her to sleep. The Mountain Cat nodded, and did so, loving every minute of her peaceful sleep... 


	6. Desert Storm

Hello, Ami here. Its 5:05 am so I'm not that hyper right now. That's a good thing, right? Well, doesn't matter... It'll take me a little longer to write because of school and my 3 bro's and stuff, but I'll try! Hope you enjoy the chapter. Bye^_^  
  
Desert Storm  
  
'There is no way this is happening to me,' the Little Dragon thought. 'She does not mean that much to me. She can't mean that much to me. I refuse to let her mean that much to me!'  
  
"I think she means that much to me," he mumbled aloud. He held back a sigh, and went to the oasis to do something for a couple of hours. "I can't believe it. First it was that Trisha girl, and now her? I thought I promised myself something like this would never happen." He couldn't hold back a sigh that time. "Damn sighing, getting on my nerves..."  
  
On the way past his study he grabbed his bag, and continued on his journey to the palace oasis. When he finally got there, he sat down under a tree that wasn't facing the sun, and started another picture.  
  
This one was similar to the last one, but it had more differences then likenesses. He drew the light line down the middle and started to draw wings. Enveloped in these wings he put Mariah, this time without wings, and wearing a flowing dress that showed her shoulders. He drew the mountain lion, sitting proud and tall, on Mariah's side, along with doves... and flowers... and apple trees...  
  
He put his pencil down. Now that was strange. Why did he write that? Sure, his dream had lots of apple trees and doves in it, but that didn't matter, right?  
  
"Wrong..." he murmured, not knowing of the presence behind him. "I drew that for a reason, just like I drew her for a reason..."  
  
"What's the reason," someone asked, scaring Tyson half to death. He turned around only to see Mariah. "I'm sorry, I should be more polite to royalty," Tyson's face paled. How did she find out? "So, would you please tell me what the reason for you drawing me as an angel? I mean, I know I'm cute, but to get a Prince to fall for me? That's quite an achievement."  
  
"Um... well... err..." He lost his tongue, and couldn't find it. Here was the girl that he was trying to ignore was even in Egypt, standing there, teasing HIM! Of all people. "Why are you here so early? People usually come in the evening, when the sun is just setting. It's actually and unwritten rule that all girls, around my age, have to come in the evening."  
  
"Unwritten rule," she repeated, taking a seat beside him. "Well, I've never heard of that rule, so I came before my aunt woke up so I wouldn't have to drag her along."  
  
'Oh no,' the Little Dragon thought. 'Here in the morning, adds no aunt, add talking to me, equal not good! Got to get her out of here, quick!'  
  
"Okay Mariah," he started slowly, so that he didn't offend her or anything. "I really think that you should go." He looked at Mariah face, only to see her looking at the ground. "I didn't mean to offend you or anything," she looked up at him. "It's just that-"  
  
"TYSON!" Tyson winched at the voice. "Who is that girl? Is she you choice? We should bring her to mother right away!" Tyson looked up at a girl that had been like his second mother his whole life. They weren't even blood relatives, just good friends that mother happened to want to keep around.  
  
"No, we shall NOT bring her to mother, Aretha," he started nice and slow, and in that deadly tone again. "But you could help me get her out of here before mother does find out about her and starts fitting her into a wedding dress!" The last part was whispered, but it delivered the message. Anyone mess with him, pay. "Now Aretha, are you going to help me, or not?"  
  
"Not," she was one of the few people who never listened to his tone of voice. "There is a storm coming, and she'll have to stay. But I can help you get her to your room. Then you can keep her away from mother." She stepped closer and whispered into his ear, "just no funny business mister. Don't want to scare away your girlfriend..."  
  
With that said, she grabbed both Tyson's and Mariah's arms and started to pull them into the castle. Mariah, who was silent the whole time, had a look of horror on her face. Tyson mouthed 'I know what you mean' to her, and rolled his eyes. He really needed to stop asking Aretha to help him with stuff... 


	7. Cat's Tale

Okay, it's now 6:05 am. It took me an hour to write the last chapter, let's see if I can write another one. Oh yeah, I know that they are short. But it's so early! Yay, I get chocolate! Hope you enjoy the chapter. Bye^_^  
  
Cat's Tale  
  
'That girl, what's her name, Aretha, just keeps on pulling down this corridor,' the Mountain Cat said. 'And she's hurting me! Why can't she just walk like normal people? Humph, I guess it must have something to do with their mother.'  
  
Aretha had been dragging them down the same corridor for fifteen minutes, and all the sudden, she came to a stop. She let go of them and took a step forward, allowing Mariah to fall peacefully. She just didn't touch the ground.  
  
She looked at her savoir; only to see it was Tyson. Tyson was blushing like crazy at their closeness, and she couldn't help but giggle. That giggle caught the attention of Aretha, who happened to be the one who had to find Tyson a wife. But the Mountain Cat didn't know that.  
  
"Tyson," She started, tearing him from his trace. "Are you sure you don't want her to meet mother? 'Cause I think that she's the one..."  
  
"No," he said, helping the Kitten up. "Not a word to mother, or else neither of us will hear the end of it, now, could you please go." How he said all that with a straight face was beyond her, but he did it. "You may come back to inform us when the storm is over." He put his hand on the small of her back, directing her into his room.  
  
"Us," repeated Aretha. "When did the two of you become-." Whatever she had to say was cut off by the door.  
  
Mariah looked around the room. It was filled with every shade of blue you could think of. Every now and then you'd see something hemmed with red or gold, but it was mostly blue. It was...  
  
"Beautiful..." she whispered. Tyson heard anyway.  
  
"Never thought you'd say that about any of my stuff." He whispered back. "But I greatly appreciate you opinion anyway. So, thank you..." They were really close now. So close, their whispers were like normal speech to their ears. But before anything could happen, he turned away, and sat at his desk.  
  
'I wonder what he's doing,' The Mountain Cat thought. She sat down on his bed. Watching him. 'Hmm... Grey eyes... great build...nice hair... dangerous attitude...ma and him- hold it girl! Get that thought out of your head!' She shook her head a couple of times to clear it. 'He's Ray's friend! Not only that, but he's one of his closest friends!'  
  
"How did you find out it was me?" Tyson asked, breaking her train of thought. He didn't turn around. Instead, he kept on writing on some paper.  
  
'That's good,' she thought. 'Should I tell him about the dream? Nah.'  
  
"That picture you drew," she finally said. She collapsed on his bed, closing her eyes. "The one that flattered me so much. You signed your name on it..." With that said, she let herself go to sleep. She'd enjoy talking to the dragon again.  
  
Out side, she heard the sound of a sand storm coming. She smiled...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
She opened her eyes, and took in the sight. She loved this dream now. And nothing could ever take that away from her. Even if she had a night mare, her dream would come soon enough.  
  
She looked around for Dragoon, and maybe even Galux. She didn't see them. The sky got dark, and it started to rain. She couldn't see any shelter, so she ran to the only dry place she could think of. The desert...  
  
The desert was dry, and her wet form and the sand stick to her. She walked around, never expecting to end up in this part of her dream realm. After five minutes of walking, she stopped. She thought she saw something on the horizon. Or was it someone?  
  
'Who could that be,' she wondered. 'And why are they so far out...' The person came closer, and closer. Soon enough, the Kitten could see who it was.  
  
Her eyes shone in pure joy. It was the Little Dragon. HER Little Dragon. She ran to him and embraced him. All the sudden, they were off the ground...  
  
She looked up at him, and he smiled back, and that's when she noticed them. Two long, white scaled wings on his back. Each stroke of the wings sent a powerful wave of air beneath them, and they went higher. Soon, they were in another land. A land of clouds.  
  
"I'll protect you, Little Kitten..." 


	8. To Go, or Not to Go

Hello! I just wrote the first chapter of a new story! Of course, it was a challenge and I'm not sure if I'm going to enjoy writing it... Oh well, that's my problem. If you want to know something about the new story, it's a romance about Kai and Kenny. *mumbles* I never should have put up that challenge... Okay now, on with the story. Hope you enjoy the chapter. Bye^_^  
  
To Go, or Not to Go  
  
'She actually fell asleep,' Tyson though. 'She looks like an angel...' He shook his head to get those thoughts out. 'Get your mind out of the gutter boy! Just because you have an angel sleeping on you bed doesn't mean you can look at her.'  
  
"Okay, that did not come out right," he whined. He banged his head on his desk a couple times, trying to get *that* mental image out of his head. He stopped. "Might as well finish the picture," he picked up his pencil again, and continued to draw.  
  
Right now, he was drawing a cloak. The cloak was like his cloak. It was deep brown, with raspberry dragons dancing on the bottom, and hemmed in gold. The owner of the cloak was the owner of the wings, to which he changed to look like a dragons scales. Aside from his wings, the only thing you could see on the figure, were his arms and hands. On these he put bracelets.  
  
The bracelets started at the wrist on his inner arm, and met a quarter in on his outer for arm. Where the two ends met, there was a leaf. The leaf had a blue jewel in the center of it...  
  
Behind him, he drew Dragoon. He was going to draw a normal dragon, but Dragoon seemed more fitting of the part...  
  
He reached for his colours, but stopped. He looked at Mariah, and stood up. He walked towards her, and sat on his bed. He sat there, gazing at her for awhile, before he heard a knock at the door.  
  
"Come in Aretha," he said standing up. "And be quite," he added. He stole one last glance at the Mountain Cat, before looking towards the opening door. Aretha didn't come in. No, his mother did...  
  
"Tyson," she started. She looked at Mariah without any surprise at all. Yes, he would kill Aretha as soon as he got the chance. "Aretha told me about this girl. Now, are you going to tell me that she is the one you have chosen to marry or not?" She looked at him expectedly.  
  
"Well, you see mother," he started smoothly. "I'm not in charge of who I have to marry, and even if I was, her aunt would have to agree." He looked at his mother, and at the smile she had on.  
  
'I'm not sure,' he stated in his mind. 'But I think she planed that.'  
  
"That's alright Tyson." She said. Yep, he was doomed. "I have already sent a guard to ask her aunt if it would be appropriate to let her marry you, and she couldn't be happier!" Tyson paled as his mother continued. "We were thinking about having it in Japan, in winter of course. We never get snow here. Not only that, but if it was in Japan, you'd be able to invite all your friends!" That got Tyson's attention.  
  
"NO!" He yelled. Unbeknownst to himself, he woke up the slumbering angel. "I will NOT have a wedding with a girl that has not fallen in love with me! I've got two years Sunday for frigging sake! If you can get her to fall in love with me by then! THEN, and only *THEN*, Will I marry her!" He took a couple of breaths before even acknowledging that someone was giggling. "Shut up," he mumbled.  
  
"Of course you highness," she teased. He knew that she knew that they were talking about him marrying her, but it didn't even faze her. She just sat there and lived though it all. Tyson sat at back at his desk, slumping down so that he didn't have to look at his mother. "Deal," his mother said. Mariah stopped giggling when she said that. Tyson stopped breathing...  
  
"You can't be serious," he finally said. He looked up at her, and she nodded. "Alright then, I guess I'll just have to deal with the horrible fact that I'm not to marry a soul." He fakes pouted. "Now could you please leave?"  
  
"Of course Tyson," she said. "But remember, your trip to Japan is coming up soon, and Ms. Mariah will be staying with us, of course. So, if you go, she will be going with you." This made both Tyson and Mariah pale. "Have a good day, and chose wisely."  
  
'Damn, if I bring her to Japan, she'll blab everything to Ray, and everyone would find out. But if I don't go, I won't be able to celebrate my birthday with my friends...' 


	9. Painful Decision

Hello, Ami here. I have written another chapter to 'Laptop Love' to those of you who are interested. Also, I made another story, but it's General Fan Fiction instead of Beyblade. Well, it's 5:08 am. Let's see what kind of thinks I'll be able to write. Hope you like the chapter, its short. Bye^_^  
  
Painful Decisions  
  
'Oh great,' the Mountain Cat thought. 'It's his decision so I'll never get a word in this. I'm going to be dragged out to see Ray, and ten be forced to tell my whole story...' She looked at his face. He had started to colour it.  
  
"You never told me you could draw," she said, trying to break the tension. "Or why you drew me..."  
  
"You never knew I could, draw because you never asked," he said quietly. "And I draw you because you're here, and giving inspirations. Happy?" He never even looked up, just kept on doing whatever he was doing...  
  
"What are you drawing?" Mariah asked with a smirk. "And if it's me, please stop now."  
  
The Little Dragon looked up at her, and smiled.  
  
"I'm not drawing you," he said, making sure she heard that hint of amusement in his voice. "Technically, I'm colouring you..."  
  
'He'll never give up,' she thought, slumping back on his bed. 'Hmm... his bed...me and him... ALONE...' she shook her head a couple of times. 'No way, that will ever going to happen. Let alone with him.' She looked up at him again, and decided that they needed to talk.  
  
"Your Highness," she saw him flinch. "We need to talk about your- I mean our- trip to Japan." He looked up at her and signaled for her to continue. "I really don't want to see Ray, not after what he did to me." He raised an eyebrow. "But I know you want to go to see the others, so, maybe if I get a hotel room or something. I'd be in Japan, and I would have to see Ray..."  
  
"What did he do?" He asked. The Mountain Cat pulled her legs up to rest her on them, and started telling him her story. By the time she was done, he was sitting beside her on the bed. "I can't believe Ray would do something like that. And it's not like Lee to get jealous of him... I wish I knew why Ray did that; I'd be able to help you more." He put a comforting arm around her, and she leaded her head against her chest tiredly. "That's right, go to sleep. Have sweet dreams...Little Angel"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
She was here again, and she was happier then ever. Galux and Dragoon were talking, and she was just waiting for her protector. She sat on her little rock in the middle of the stream. Still waiting...  
  
Finally, a shape was coming from the desert. A shape that was FLYING her way. She Started toward him and to his warm embrace...  
  
When she finally got to him, he opened his arms for her, and after a quick squeeze of reassurance, they were off flying toward the City in the Sky.  
  
Once there, they sat down, the pink haired angel snuggling into his embrace. That's when he spoke.  
  
"You have to convince me to go," she looked up at him, confusion written clearly on his face. "To Japan, you have to convince me to go. If I don't go, things might not go as they should..." he looked her in the eye, and said his next words. "Promise me you'll try..."  
  
"I promise..." those were her only words. "I promise..." 


	10. Off to see the BladeBreakers

Hello, Ami here! Sorry I didn't update last night. I had to go to a Christmas concert by the Salvation Army. It was a great concert, and I got home at 11:30. Its 6:06 now... GOD! I need more sleep! Okay, I should be alright for a little while. Hope you like the chapter. Bye^_^  
  
Off to See the BladeBreakers  
  
'I do NOT know how she convinced me into this!' Tyson thought angrily on the plane. They were both going to Japan to host a party that Aretha had planned out for them. 'I just hope that the guys don't see me at the party...' Tyson looked out the window and saw all the clouds. He wanted to draw them... 'But of course, there is the no drawing rule starting an hour before we leave...' He sighed. He hated this day already.  
  
"So," he said, trying to start conversation. "Do you have any idea how much my day has darkened? 'Cause I just know that you don't"  
  
"Darkened?" She said, looking at him. "What do you mean by darkened?"  
  
"I mean spoiled," He corrected himself. "Uneventful. Boring."  
  
"Oh," said Mariah, tilting her head to one side like a kitten. "But you'll be able to see the other BladeBreakers. Don't you want to see them?"  
  
He sighed, should he tell her? Why should he tell her, he hasn't even told his mother? Then again, she did tell him about Ray...  
  
"Because," he started, not sure what to say. "I don't want them to know that I'm a prince. I don't want them to know I'm different... When you're different, you're noticed, and when you're noticed, you never get a second to yourself..."  
  
"Oh," she said smiling. "Okay. That's reasonable enough."  
  
'What in the world is she talking about? Reasonably enough, the only way she'd say that was if she had something to do with...' Tyson's face paled at that thought. 'Well, I've got to know.'  
  
"Mariah," he started. "Did you have anything to do with us going to Japan?" She looked nervous, as if hiding something. Finally, she nodded. "Okay, just wondering," with that, Tyson looked out of the window. Neither one of them said anything during the rest of the flight.  
  
When they finally got there, they had to walk to Tyson's Grandpa's place, 'because he forgot to pick them up.  
  
'That's okay,' he thought. 'More time to think. More time to talk to Mariah.' That's when a worst case scenario happened. The BladeBreakers came into view. 'Oh great! They're probable going to the park to Beyblade a bit before upgrading their blades!' he sighed, no way to prevent meeting them. He could see Mariah looking around for a hiding place, but knew that she wouldn't find one... 'This day keeps getting worse and worse...'  
  
"Tyson!" Max hollered when he saw them. Both Mariah and Tyson winched. "We've missed you SO much! You have to tell us all about it! Come on! We're going to the park to Beyblade!"  
  
"Sorry, can't," Tyson said in his mock cheerful tone. He saw Max's face fall. He also saw Ray eyeing up Mariah. "You see, when I was visiting my mum, I met Mariah, who had moved in with her aunt nearby. I asked her to come to Japan with me so she could meet all of you again." He smiled a fake smile. 'How I do this, I shall never know,' he thought as they all started talking at once. Except for Kai. Kai knew about him, and actually respects him. Tyson sent him a plea for help with his eyes, hoping he'd get the message. He always does.  
  
"Let's go," he suddenly snapped. "We still have to change. And Tyson has a guest. No matter how much any of us wants to drag him off to train, he has a guest to entertain," he looked at then all. "Now, let's go!" they all said their good byes, and Tyson mouthed 'I owe you one' to Kai. He mouthed 'you owe me five, back, amusement dancing in his eyes. Finally, they were gone.  
  
"Hmm..." Tyson thought aloud. "What can I do to pay back Kai five times?"  
  
"Whatever do you mean YOUR highness," Mariah said teasingly.  
  
"Well, I forgot to tell you that Kai found out about me in the Russian tournament," Tyson stated, handing her his arm to take. She nestled her hand by his elbow, and nodded for him to continue. "You see, after he stole all your Bit Beasts, I started to drop my mask a little. The incident on the ice was when I my eyes shone with my true emotions, instead of the fake cheerfulness I have mastered." Tyson's house came into view. "So, how do you feel about Ray being here?" He saw the way Mariah looked down when he said this, so he gave her hand a little squeeze.  
  
"I'll have to deal with Ray myself," she said, looking him in the eye. "If you can deal with a stampede of girls that want to marry you, then I can deal with one guy that wants to date me."  
  
"Just make sure you don't ask him to the party," Tyson said in mock hurt. "Because I don't want to walk alone in the dark, all the way down that long, long hall..." he pouted, and she laughed.  
  
"Don't worry," she said. "I'll make sure my schedule is free so that I can walk you down the hall." Tyson yelled 'YAY!' and she started laughing even more... 


	11. Telling the Tiger

Hello! I've finally gotten a good idea for a chapter! Oh, I know that Laptop Love was disturbing, I wrote it and I think so too. It didn't turn out as bad as I thought, but it's still disturbing... well, I hope your all still reading, and if you have any ideas, I'd be glad to hear them! Oh yeah, I'm planning on pairing Ray off in the next chapter, so if you have ANY ideas on that, I'd be glad to hear them. If not, I'll be forced to put my brain to work. Hope you enjoy the chapter. Bye^_^  
  
Telling the Tiger  
  
'Okay,' the Kitten thought. 'I can do this. All it is, is a stupid party that Tyson's mom put together to impress people so that when Tyson becomes a councilor-person, he'll have some powerful alias, and if I mess it all up, it could mean the respect most of his people have for him. I can do this.'  
  
Mariah was dressed in baggy light blue pants that showed her belly button, and were tied around her heels to make them look rounded. She was wearing a light blue belly button shirt that resembled a bra, and a meter of translucent material that was tied to both of her wrists, casting a sort of, cape around her. All this was hemmed in a pale pink. Her light blue slipper-like shoes finished her attire.  
  
She paced around her 'room,' going over what Tyson had told her about proper behavior, and proper speech. It was all jumbled in her mind...  
  
People had come hours before to decorate his Grandpa's house, and he had gotten one of them to sew together a quick outfit. And quick it was. The lady took some of Tyson's old clothes, and fixed them to her size. Next she made little adjustment here and there, to make them look more Egyptian, more ladylike.  
  
Mariah loved the clothes. They felt nice, she looked great in them, and they smelled like Tyson...  
  
'Get a grip girl!' Mariah scolded herself. 'Just because a guy is cute, doesn't mean you can fall for him,' she lied pitifully in her mind. 'He's an Egyptian Prince for God's sake! It doesn't matter if he's cute! It doesn't matter if your aunt is planning to get you to marry him! I'm the girl who's exposed to be in love with Ray! And how do you even know that he loves you back?'  
  
Mariah sat down, surprised at her own thoughts. Did she love the young prince? He did say two years Sunday, right?  
  
"Why does it matter?" she said to herself. "It's not like it'll ever happen." She heard a knock at the door. She walked over and opened it, only to reveal Tyson in his Egyptian robes.  
  
Tyson's robes made up of baggy white pants that were rounded at the bottom like hers, and black slipper-like shoes. He also wore a cape. The cape she had seen him in when she was following him...  
  
"Hey," Tyson said. "Do you happen to know where a pink haired girl with almond gold eyes is? She was exposed to come with me to the party, but I can't find her anywhere." Mariah hit him playfully on the arm.  
  
"Stop it Tyson," she laughed. "You know perfectly well that it's me! Stop acting like a 2 year old and let's go!"  
  
"Of course milady," he said, holding out his arm. "Shall I walk in with you, or would you prefer to enter alone?"  
  
She thought for a moment, before saying, "We'll walk in together, just not arm-in-arm. That way, no one would get the wrong idea." "Splendid idea," he said in a British accent. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go already!" They walked down the hallway, discussing small matters about the party. How she should act around others, how she was to speak to others, and how she had to be his shadow...  
  
"That's the most important thing," he said before opening the door that would seal the whole night. "You have to stay near me the entire time. You have to stay near, even if Ray and the other show up, you have to stay near." Mariah nodded, and he opened the door.  
  
Someone announced that 'Prince Tyson of Egypt,' and a 'dear friend of his,' had entered the room, and they left to talk to some friend of Tyson's mother.  
  
After awhile, someone called out Tyson's name. Both of them turned around, only to see Tyson's dad, standing there... with the BladeBreakers.  
  
Both Tyson and Mariah's faces paled. They didn't expect to see them here, and now they had to come up with an excuse, and make sure they believed it too.  
  
"Um... hey dad," Tyson said meekly. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Well," his dad started. "I asked Mr. Dickenson if these guys were invited to this party, and when he asked which party I was talking about. I decided to invite them myself." Tyson sighed, and turned to the Mountain Cat.  
  
"You can go back to your room," he said. "The party is almost over, there's only about 15 minutes left." Mariah nodded, and turned to leave Tyson to explain his 'little' secret to his friends, with the help of Kai. What she didn't notice was that Ray was following her....  
  
She got to her 'room,' and sat on her 'bed.' She left the door open, so that Tyson didn't have to knock when he was done. Ray slipped into her 'room,' and snuck up to her.  
  
"Original," he whispered, causing her to jump, "Bed and everything. Were you expecting me?" His tone suggested nothing but bad things for her...  
  
"No," she answered simply. Seeing the frown appear on Ray's face, she continued. "I would have thought you got the picture when I moved to Egypt Ray." She looked him straight in the eye, "I don't like you like that anymore, so please, PLEASE, stop trying to get me to."  
  
"What do you mean?" He asked, as if he didn't hear a thing she said.  
  
"I mean," she repeated slowly. "That I don't like you like I used to. WHY, can't you get that through your head! If you would just listen to anyone for ONE second, you would already know that!" She practically screamed the last part, in her confused state. "First those strange feelings toward Tyson," she murmured. "And now, now I have to go though this..."  
  
"Tyson?" Ray said in genuine concern. "What about Tyson?"  
  
"Nothing," she said lamely. But Ray knew... Ray knew that he would never have a chance against the Egyptian Prince, Even if they didn't. With this new found knowledge, he smiled.  
  
He may not have been able to make her happy, but he was sure that Tyson could. And now that he knew what she felt for him, he would try to make sure that he stayed out of the way... 


	12. Figuring Out

Hello, Ami here! I'm just so used to typing Ami now I've almost forgotten that my username is Shinigami29! Oh well, I have to go on with the story now. Just so you know this chapter is taking place just after Tyson finished explaining everything to his team mates. That and it's on the end of the third day. Just thought you might want to know... okay, all I have to do know is pick out someone to pair off with Ray... I was hoping on pairing him off in this chapter, but it wouldn't fit into the plot... well, hope you enjoy the chapter. Bye^_^  
  
Figuring Out  
  
'I can't believe it,' the Little Dragon thought. 'After so many years pretending that he was just a normal kid, they found out... Mariah must be bad luck...' He shook his head. He knew that he was blaming his bad luck on Mariah just because his foreign feelings for her.  
  
'It doesn't matter what it is,' he thought brutally. 'All I know is that it causes pain. Unbearable pain that no one would like to live with...' he heard a knock at the door.  
  
"Come in..." he said mutely, sitting up while doing so. The door opened, and Ray walked in. "Oh, hello Ray. What are you doing here?" Ray sat beside him on the bed.  
  
"Well, I came to ask you about Mariah," he said quietly. Tyson's eyes became hard, but he resisted the sudden urge to knock him out, and nodded for him to continue. "I know I've hurt her in the past, and I realize that know. What I wanted to know is why you've gone through the trouble of trying to make her happy?"  
  
"You didn't hear me talking to everyone, did you?" Ray shook his head no, and Tyson continued. "Well, I guess I should start from when I found Mariah's blade..." and Tyson told the story of how he met Mariah, and of how he and his mother made a little bet, and that if he even thought about hurting Mariah again, he would torture him to an inch of his death...  
  
"So," he finished, "Any questions?" Ray shook his head again, "Good. Now, will you please tell me why you're here? I know that you have another reason for being here then just for apologizing for doing those things to Mariah, because you and I both know that you should apologize to Mariah, not me."  
  
"I know, I know," he smiled. "I just wanted to know the story." He paused for a minute. "What are your feelings," he paused again, "What are your feelings for Mariah?" Tyson stared at him blankly, before getting his wits about him.  
  
"My feelings for Mariah are strictly up the category of friendship," he whispered in that oh so deadly tone of his. "I do not possess such feelings for her, and even if I did, it would hurt both of us just like it did me and-"he stopped short. He looked down, not saying a word.  
  
"Who?" Ray asked, curiosity getting the better of him.  
  
"Curiosity killed the cat," Tyson smirked. "So you, Tiger, should stay clear out of my business," Tyson stood up, and walked over to the door. "Now, you may stay here as long as you want, but I have to wish my guest sweet dreams, and them I must sleep myself. Goodnight." And with that, Tyson left.  
  
But he didn't see Ray's smile, for he had figured out something important. Tyson was hurt in the past, and he didn't want to fall in love.  
  
"Hmm..." he said aloud. "I know that Mariah would be able to help him if he found out, but how to get Tyson to confess..." 


	13. Old Aquaintance, New Friend

Hello, Ami here, again. Have you noticed that I always start every page like that? Well, I'm going to try to stop... tried. I owe this chapter to white dragon, who talked to me and gave me most of these ideas. Well, thanks again! This chapter is short, and will make more sense when I put up the next chapter, but, its up. Hope u like the chapter. Bye^_^  
  
Old Acquaintance, New Friend  
  
'Well, that's one thing right,' the Mountain Cat thought to herself. 'At least Ray won't bother me now.' There was a knock at her door. 'I wonder who that is.'  
  
"Come in," she whispered. The door opened, and in walked in Kai. "Kai, what are you doing here?" confusion clear in her voice.  
  
"I came to tell you something," he sat down on the desk chair. "Tyson is a dear friend to me, no matter how much it may seem the other way around... I wanted to know, why you wanted to come to Japan in the first place. Tyson really didn't want to come to see the others..." Mariah sat there, not sure what to do. Ray had just left a minute ago, and now Kai was here for who knows what reason.  
  
"Listen, Kai," Mariah slurred, sleep tugging at her eyes. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I'm really sleepy. Could we continue this in the mourning?" he nodded his approval, and moved toward her. He took the blanket at the end of the bed, and covered her up.  
  
"Believe it or not," he whispered, heading out of her door. "I am a good person. I don't know what's going on between you and Tyson, but any friend of his, I trust." With that, he was out the door.  
  
'That was strange...' she thought, and she went to sleep, thinking about the brief and confusing conversation she had with Kai...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
She was there again, in her dream real, THEIR dream realm.  
  
'I wonder where he is,' she said, looking around. 'He has to be here somewhere...' she saw a flash of red, and she remembered something. A conversation she had in the past...  
  
'Don't freight,' a voice said behind her. She spun around, making her hair swoosh behind her. What she saw amazed her.  
  
It was a huge fire bird. By the phoenix's voice, she could tell it was a girl, and from her gleaming eyes, she could tell that the phoenix had a lot of power.  
  
'O-okay,' the pink angel stuttered. 'Who are you?'  
  
'You know me,' the fire bird said. 'I came here to make talking to Kai a little easier for you.'  
  
Mariah thought for a moment, who could come to her dreams to help out Kai... Something hit her. It wasn't painful, she just... remembered...  
  
//Flashback//  
  
'Hey, Tyson,' she had said. Creeping into his study, she noticed a picture on the wall, and looked at it.  
  
'Hey Mariah,' he said softly, not looking up. 'Is there anything you want?' 'Yes, why do you keep on drawing me?' She just said the first thing that came to mind, and not the carefully thought out speech. 'I mean, why do I matter so much to you that you'd take the time out of the day to just draw me?'  
  
'*Just* draw you?' he said, with something hidden in his voice that the girl couldn't recognize. It was quickly gone. 'You are my guest, and I have to make you comfortable. I just happen to have gotten my best ideas when I was doing so, so you are, naturally, I my pictures.'  
  
'Okay,' she said. She looked at the picture again. She noticed the other girl, drawn with extreme care, but she didn't mention it. 'Wonder what Dragoon would say...'  
  
'Dragoon? What does he have to do with this?' Tyson asked, finally looking up.  
  
'I saw him in my dreams...' the girl whispered. She turned to him. 'I'll make you a deal,' Tyson's grey eyes met her own, and he raised his eyebrow, curious as to what she was planning. 'If you do one certain thing again, we go to Japan, but if you don't do it, then we'll stay here. Deal?'  
  
'What do you have in mind?' he asked, turning back to whatever he was doing.  
  
'That doesn't matter,' the girl murmured. 'Just say yes, and then I'll tell you.' He thought for a moment, and met her eyes again.  
  
'Alright...' he said, not knowing what to expect. 'What do I have to do?' The girl didn't expect this; she thought that he would have said no. She looked at the picture again, not knowing what to say.  
  
'Don't draw me again...' she said in a barely audible voice. She looked at him, only to see that his eyes were diverted to the side. 'What's wrong Tyson,' she walked up to him. He was still looking away. She looked at his desk; only to see a picture... she smiled. 'I guess, I guess we're going, huh?' she looked up and looked into his eyes, once again...  
  
//End Flashback//  
  
She looked up at the fire bird, amazed at what she remembered.  
  
'Why did I remember?' she asked herself more then the phoenix.  
  
'So you could tell Kai...' the Phoenix said. 'He's your friend now, and he takes good care of his friends, as do I... sleep now, and you'll speak with him in the mourning...' The girl nodded, and snuggled into the phoenix's wing. 'Sleep now Mariah... I'll protect you while you sleep...' 


	14. Discussing Things

Hello, Ami here. I haven't had access to a computer for awhile, so I'm sorry about not updating sooner. If anyone actually reads this, I'd like to know, because I doubt that anyone does... Anyway, on with the story! Hope you enjoy the chapter. Bye^_^  
  
Discussing Things  
  
'She's asleep...' The Dragon thought to himself. 'After all that, she fell asleep...'  
  
Tyson looked at Mariah, gaping in slight awe, and sat down on her desk chair. She turned toward him, smiling a little, and snuggled into her pillow. He reached down and swept a piece of her hair behind her ear.  
  
"Sleep well," he smiled, getting up. "See you in the mourning..." He walked out of the door, and headed down the hall. He went to the door, and walked outside. He went straight to his favourite tree, and climbed up into it. He sighed in content, able to see the stars, and able to smell the night air once again...  
  
"Don't rest for to long," a familiar voice came. He looked down, only to see Kai, waiting at the bottom of the tree. "Because you still have to explain a lot to me."  
  
"Like what," Tyson smirked back, "Because I don't recall anything that would be of interest to you, King Kai." Both of them smiled at that comment. It had been a joke of theirs since, well, since they could have a conversation and not try to kill each other.  
  
Kai climbed into the tree, and sat beside Tyson. They both thought back to when they had first become friends...  
  
//Flashback//  
  
"Tyson," Kai said, walking into Tyson's room. "I have to talk to you."  
  
"What would the all-mighty Kai want to talk to a low life peasant like me?" Tyson said, quickly putting on his mask. But Kai saw through it. Tyson had let it down for a second before, and now, it was easy to see through his mask. "What, cat got your tongue?"  
  
"I came to ask you about your mask," He said in his monotone voice. Tyson laughed hesitantly. "I know that your faking it Tyson, so don't try it. You let me see the real you when you saved me, so don't think that you'll be able to hide it from me know." He sat down beside Tyson, "Tell me everything." And he did, from his Egyptian heritage, to his tiny birthmark, to that heartbreak he had long ago...  
  
"And that's everything," he finished, "happy?" Tyson turned his back from him, ashamed of what he had said. Kai put his hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Yeah, I am," he replied sincerely. "I'm glad that you told me, and I'm glad that I can truly think of someone as a friend..." Tyson turned around, surprised at Kai's words. Kai looked just as surprised...  
  
"Thanks Kai..." Tyson whispered. He smirked, "So, does this mean that the big bad wolf has feelings?"  
  
"Shut up Tyson," Kai growled. They both laughed, happy that they now had true friends to laugh with...  
  
//End Flashback//  
  
"I'm still not done thanking you," Tyson said out of the blue. He looked at Kai. "You are the only person who knows where I hide away from the world..." They were silent for a minute, gazing at the stars.  
  
"When," Kai suddenly asked. The Little Dragon smiled. They were playing the one word question game, as he called it. It was hard to play, but he had mastered it.  
  
"Three days ago," Tyson answered, knowing he was talking about Mariah. "I was walking through an ally, when I heard some guys talking about a blade that they had stolen. I found out it was Mariah's and took it to her house."  
  
"Why," another simple, yet hard question.  
  
"Because..." Tyson stopped, why did he bring her back her Beyblade? He could have gotten a guard to do it, or even a servant to. Why was it so important that he did it? "...Because of a feeling..."  
  
"What." How was he supposed to answer that? He didn't know it...  
  
"I don't know..." Was Tyson's simple, but honest, reply, "I just don't know what feeling drove me to do that..."  
  
"Love?"  
  
"...I wouldn't know..." Tyson looked at Kai, confusion written clearly on his face. Why did he even think about Mariah every other minute? Was it love? Could he love after what had happened? 


	15. A New Thought

Hello, Ami here. It is now officially the fourth day in this Fic; took me long enough. Well, I'm not sure about you, but I think I'm crazy! I have an annoying voice in my head that drives me crazy and gives me killer headaches! Well, I hope you like the chapter. Bye^_^  
  
A New Thought  
  
'Wonder what's happening to me...' the Mountain Cat thought. 'I've never felt this way about anyone. Not even Ray...' She sighed. She didn't want to think. She wasn't outside at 3 o'clock in the mourning just to think. No she was out there to watch.  
  
"Wonder how high the stars really are..." She whispered, now certain that it would break. She looked down at a flower, and fingered it delicately. "So delicate, so easy to destroy..."  
  
"Yet so beautiful," someone had come to watch her... Mariah turned, only to see Tyson, standing by the door, waiting for her reaction. It must have come. "You shouldn't be out here without a jacket."  
  
"Why does it matter?" Mariah asked. "I haven't had a cold since I was three."  
  
"Because," Tyson stated. "You might not have had a cold since you were three, but you might catch one now." Mariah looked away from him, sure that if she continued to look at him, she would fall under some spell that made her do whatever he wanted. "And don't try to worm your way out of it, because I speak from years of experience."  
  
"Why are you out here?" Mariah wondered. "It's not like you could sense I was out here." She thought for a moment. "You can't sense where I am, right?" Tyson laughed.  
  
"No," he smirked. "I possess no such capability. I wish I did though, it would be easier to keep you from getting a cold." He sat down on the ground, "I was out here, thinking, and Kai came out to join me." He closed his eyes, as if traveling in his past. "I just now decided to come back in, and when I noticed you, I decided to see what you were doing..." he opened his eyes, and smiled. "Do you understand?" Mariah nodded, "Good. Here," Tyson put the coat he was wearing around her, and then left to go inside.  
  
Mariah dumbfounded. She would have guessed that Tyson, the boy that she happened to be thinking about, was out there, at 3 o'clock in the mourning, only to scold her about not wearing a coat, and giving her his...  
  
'Wonder why fate is working overtime to make me happy...' Mariah looked up into the sky again, this time closing her eyes, and listening to the wind. 'No, not happy; I'm beyond happy...' her eyes snapped open at that thought.  
  
"He's a very good friend," she corrected herself. "He cared enough about me to give me his coat." She stood up, and walked toward the wall that surrounded the perimeter of the house. His house. "I need to get out of here. I need to be able to breath knowing that he's doesn't know exactly where I am..." with that said, leaped the fence, and started running down the street... 


	16. Worrying

Hello, Ami here. I am now going on to the next chapter! You know, this is getting pretty hard. I'm writing 2 fics at the same time, with the odd one shot here and there, all the while, living through my friend teasing me! It gets really, REALLY hard, but fun! Hope you enjoy the chapter. Bye^_^  
  
Worrying  
  
'That was an interesting encounter,' Tyson thought. 'Never thought that I would do that...' Tyson was in the training room, planning to practice his Blading. He reached into his coat pocket, only to realize that his jacket wasn't there.  
  
"Perfect," he mumbled, heading towards where Mariah was. "I forgot my blade... well, at least a get to see something beau- civilized along the way. I swear, people can become up, strange, sometimes..." He almost slipped up. He knew that he didn't feel anything more then that of a friend for Mariah.  
  
'And that's why she haunts my thoughts,' his voice bellowed in his mind. 'That's why I want to, need to draw her all the time... she's just a friend...' he reached the door that Mariah was just outside of, and opened it. She wasn't there...  
  
"Oh no," Tyson moaned. "I not don't get to blade, see her, or probable sleep tonight..." He looked up into the sky, "This is going to get pretty hectic..." he sighed, sitting down to think. "Where could she have gone? It's not like someone could kidnap her or something..." His head snapped up at the sickening thought. "No, that couldn't happen... could it?" Now he was worried. Now people had a reason to run from him, because, when he was worried about something, he used anything to get it out of his mind...  
  
'Okay Tyson,' he thought to himself. 'Remember what they said in anger management class. Deep breath. Deeps breaths.' His breathing became quick, and it still didn't help him relax. 'Damn! Knew there was a reason I failed...' He stood up, hoping to vent his frustrations in a nice walk around the house. The first person he saw was Max, who, along with the other BladeBreakers, was staying over night.  
  
"Hey Tyson!" he said in his ever happy voice. "Or should I say, 'Prince Tyson!' I still don-" Whatever he had to say was stopped by a hand on his throat, lifting him about a foot above the ground.  
  
"Tyson!" several voices yelled. Many pairs of hands pulled Tyson's hand off of Max, and Max breathed once again. "What is wrong with you?"  
  
"Don't ask," he answered in his deadly tone, causing everyone to back off, even Kai. "Just do everyone a favor and Find Mariah..." With that said, he walked out of the hall, toward his room, all hopes of diminishing his worries, gone... 


	17. Ant's Tricks

Hello, Ami here. Sorry this took me so long, I haven't had many ideas. Well, if you have a poem or something, it might inspire me. Some inspiration would be nice. Well, hope you like the chapter! Bye^_^  
  
Dragon's Storm  
  
'I don't believe this!' Mariah shouted in her head. 'Could this day get any worse? I left to get my mind of Tyson, only for it to start raining, and now I'm stuck in a tree!'  
  
Mariah had only run to the park when it started to rain, but she had on Tyson's jacket, so it wasn't to bad. Except the part about her wearing Tyson's jacket, it only reminded her of him.  
  
She started walking around, when someone challenged her. She declined, saying that she didn't have her Beyblade with her. The guy persuaded her, until she finally turned Tyson's jacket's pockets inside out. With this, she found Tyson's Beyblade, and she remembered him again.  
  
She was now forced to battle the kid, and was at first at a down fall. All the sudden, her thoughts had trailed to Tyson, and she some how beat him, leaving her more confused.  
  
After that, she started toward a forest. When she got there, it started storming, so she did the only logical thing; Climbed a tree to escape the rain.  
  
"I swear," she said aloud to the world. "Those clouds are the same shade of blue as Tyson's eyes..." She shook her head, and groaned. "This is going to be a long night." She tried to empty her head of thoughts of Tyson, but couldn't. Finally she gave up. "A little bit of him on my mind won't hurt. I'll just see what kind of things my mind has in mind for him." She was making herself confused, so she just closed her eyes, not knowing of what would come...  
  
Behind her eye lids, was a scene she would never forget... She wanted to open her eyes, to get rid of even the thought of it, but it was too late. It was if she were transfixed to know what would happen next.  
  
In the little play inside her head, Tyson was Blading, and she was blading right with him. That wasn't the part that got her. The part that got her was that she was in front of Tyson, him with his arms around her. The scene expanded a little more, showing her the boy that she battled earlier. The two of them were battling him...  
  
Their blades spun around the dish, colliding with each other now and then, until finally, Dragoon and Galux did a combine attack, knocking his blade out of the dish.  
  
Tyson and she cheered, happy that they had won. And they had won together... Tyson spun her around in his arms, so that she was facing him, and slowly, his head started to come toward hers....  
  
"Hello up there!" yelled a cheery voice, waking her out of her 'little' daydream. Mariah looked down, only to see the guy she was battling before standing there, with an umbrella. "Would you like me to walk you home?"  
  
"Yes please," Mariah answered eager to get out of that tree. She jumped from the tree, and practically clung to him underneath the tiny umbrella. "Thank you so much!"  
  
"No problem," he said. "I never introduced myself, did I? My name is Anthony."  
  
"My name is Mariah," she said smiling. "Could we go quickly, my friends might get worried." Anthony nodded, and they started walking. When they were about half way, he stopped.  
  
"I think we should go to my house," he said. "It's just down the block. You could dry off, and my sister has some clothes that you could wear."  
  
"Okay," she said. "I will enjoy meeting your sister." Mariah smiled, and so did Anthony. He started leading her to his house. When they got there, Mariah stared for a moment. The area had to be about as big as Tyson's house, if not bigger, and it had three stories.  
  
"This is it," Anthony said. "I hope you like it." With that said, he started taking her inside.  
  
"I love it," Mariah said, not knowing what lay inside the house. Anthony smiled. She had been easy to trick... 


	18. Controlling Anger

Hello, Ami here. Sorry it took me so long to update. I've been busy. Well, I'm updating now! Hope you like the chapter. Bye^_^  
  
Controlling Anger  
  
'Snap out of it Tyson, nothing happened to her. She only went out for a walk without telling you, it doesn't really matter. She probable only needed some girl time... and why you're speaking in third person, we shall never know.'  
  
"Tyson," some one said. "I think you owe us an explanation."  
  
'Oh no, you can't; if you go off and tell them why you tried to strangle Max, they'll think that you're a) crazy, b) insane, or c) madly in love with her, and that's silly, because you're a) not crazy, b) only semi- insane, and c) way beyond madly in love with her... Where that last thought came from is beyond me, but get rid of it quick, or it'll eat you up inside!'  
  
"Tyson, did you even hear me?" the extremely annoying someone yelled through Tyson's locked door.  
  
"I heard you!" the Little Dragon finally yelled back. "But I'm afraid that I'm still worried right now."  
  
"What are you worried about?" came another voice.  
  
"Hmm, guess," Tyson sneered at the voices. He heard murmuring, and then his answer.  
  
"Mariah?" Tyson was hesitant to answer. If he said yes, they would think c). But if he said no, he would be lying.  
  
"Yes and no," he finally answered. "She was outside in the freezing cold, so I gave her my jacket. I then was going to go train a bit, but remembered that my blade was in my jacket, so I went back to get it. When I went outside, she wasn't there..."  
  
"Good answer," an unmistakable voice said. Tyson whipped his head around to face his window, and there stood Kai. "You told truth, yet didn't tell them he reason at all." Tyson smiled.  
  
"Don't I always," he asked his friend. Kai smirked. "Well, we'd better let them in, huh?"  
  
"Yeah," Kai answered. "But you can't use Max to vent your frustrations on, okay."  
  
"Okay," the two of them walked to the door, and Tyson undid all the locks he had there. The door opened to reveal Ray, Kenny, Grandpa, and Max hiding behind them all. "Hey Max! Sorry about strangling you. It's just what I do when I'm stressed out." Max peeked out at him, and gave a shy nod.  
  
"Its okay that you're stressed out Tyson," Ray smiled evilly. Kai got ready to grab Tyson for what ever Ray was going to say. "It's just too bad that Mariah isn't here. She might be able to help you to *cough* relax." Tyson was boiling at the comment, and Ray had thought he had already won his little teasing game...  
  
"A word of advice Ray," Kai suddenly said, catching the Tiger's attention. He looked him directly in the eye. "Run." Ray's eyes flashed to Tyson, and he saw him still turning red from anger. He chose to take this advice; Tyson followed him.  
  
"Get back here you!" Tyson screamed at his back. "You won't get away with this! I can easily get you anytime I want! Heck, I can get someone to find you, chain you to a wall, and then get me a steel tipped whip if I wanted!" Ray ran faster.  
  
"Come off it Tyson!" he yelled over his shoulder, trying to calm his friend down. "It was only a joke!"  
  
"Joke!" the Little Dragon yelled again. You could clearly see the fire in his eyes; Ray ran outside and started down the street. "That was no joke and you know it! You said all those things on purpose! You were trying to get me mad! Well guess what! IT WORKED!" Ray started running down a street which a certain Mountain Cat had previously walked down, escorted by a certain Ant.  
  
"Come off it Tyson!" Ray tried again, jumping into some yard, hoping that they would have mercy on him and wouldn't mind. "We're friends! Can't you just forget it!?"  
  
"Friend!?" he said, also jumping into the yard. "Max is my friend, yet I was somehow able to strangle him! Just because were friends doesn't mean I can't kill you!" Ray ran harder, and did the only thing he could think of. Looking at the house, he saw it was huge. He knew that his best chance of losing Tyson would be in there, so he went in. of course, he had to climb through a window, but that didn't matter.  
  
Tyson was soon through the window as well, but when he looked around, he didn't see Ray anywhere. He started looking through the house, checking each and every room, until he found him. He was hiding behind a curtain, breathing lightly, as if knowing that his hearing was that good. But it really didn't matter, he had heard it, and Ray was going to pay for what he said.  
  
Tyson crept up to the curtain, getting ready to kill Ray at an instant. He slowly put his fingers around the hem of it, making sure that it didn't move in anyway. He pulled out a small dagger, getting ready to put it to his 'Friend's' throat. Quickly, he pulled the curtain back, and in a flash, his dagger was moving. But just as quickly as it had started, it finished, for instead of Ray standing there, there was a boy.  
  
"Who are you?" Tyson asked him, putting his dagger away.  
  
"My name is Anthony," the boy answered. "Who are you? And more importantly, why are you in my house?"  
  
'He's hiding something... I can't trust him, that's for sure.'  
  
"I'm looking for my friend," Tyson explained. He saw how the boy stiffened. "Have you seen him?"  
  
"Him?" Anthony said. "Oh, no, I haven't seen anybody recently!"  
  
"Okay," Tyson looked at him suspiciously, and then got and idea. "Hey, would you show me around?" he gave a lopsided grin.  
  
"Um... sure," Anthony answered, and he pulled the Dragon out into the hallway, to give him a tour of the HUGE house... 


	19. Frightful Meeting

Hello, Ami here. Okay, it's taken me SO long to get this up! I'M SO SORRY! CAN'T YOU EVER FORGIVE ME! Well, now that that's over, let's see if I can get an idea for this. I've been using most of my ideas on my Lord of the Rings Fic (BAD AMI BAD AMI!) and I could use some. I love using poems and stuff like that, so if you have one that you'd like to see in here, PLEASE TELL ME ABOUT IT! Yeah, well, um, LET GET ON WITH THE STORY! (P.S. the chapter is REALLY short, but it's exposed to be.) Hope you like the chapter. Bye^_^  
  
Frightful Meeting  
  
Mariah groaned and opened her eyes. She looked around the room she was in. all she remembered was walking into a house, and then a sheering pain coming from her neck. She must have been knocked out.  
  
"Where am I?" she whispered to no one in particular.  
  
"You're in my house," a voice answered her. Mariah spun around, only to be greeted by the face of a girl. She had long, chestnut hair that went down to her ankles, and her coal black eyes shone with humor.  
  
"Who are you?" Mariah asked.  
  
"I'm your worst nightmare..." the girl answered. "You stole my Tyson away from me, and because of that, you shall pay. You shall pay dearly for all the things you've done to make my Ty forget me. Make him forget US!" she stepped toward Mariah, and Mariah recoiled away from her, trying to make as much distance as possible.  
  
"I d-don't kn-know what your t-talking about..." the Mountain Cat stuttered.  
  
"Oh," the girl said with nothing but hatred in her voice. "I'll just have to tell you then..." 


	20. Finding Two Kittens

Yellow, Ami here. Okay, I'm finally getting another chapter up, after the oh so long wait. Well, I know what the girl's name is going to be. Its going to be Nitra. She's a REAL cool character in the mortal combat deadly alliance. My brother was playing and got his ass kicked my her, so I knew that she had the PERFECT name for my character. Well, I also have to introduce my 'adoptive' muses. There's Vern and Pixie.  
  
Vern & Pixie: hey!  
  
Pixie: can we get this over with, I want to use the computer next!  
  
Ami: alright, alright. Vern, since I'm bored, you'll introduce the chapter to everyone. Okay?  
  
Vern: fine, but I DON'T want to! Well, Ami hope you enjoy the chapter, I hope for your phone number, and Pixie hopes for this to get done soon, so that she can get on the computer.  
  
Ami & Pixie: VERN!  
  
Ami: okay, forget about him. *watches Pixie beat him with a bat* Now, on with the story! Pixie? Please stop it, he's had enough torture.  
  
Pixie: *FINALLY puts down bat* fine. Okay, now, we hope you enjoy the chapter. Bye^_^  
  
Finding Two Kittens  
  
'Where could he be? He couldn't have gotten that far! Not only that, but this guy -what's his name- Anthony, seams to be avoiding going into the house much... Something's up, and I intend to find out...'  
  
"Hey Ant," Tyson said, draping his arm around his shoulders. "Couldn't you just tell me the basic layout of the house? After that, I can find anything. Trust me; I do it all the time back home in Egypt." He flashed one of his million dollar grins.  
  
"No," Anthony simply replied, pushing Tyson's arm away from him. "I can't, I don't want anything to be stolen." The last part was a little rushed; he was lying.  
  
"So, Ant," the Little Dragon tried again. "What's your favourite animal? You have to have one." The Ant smiled.  
  
"Why, yes I do," he smiled more, humor shining in his eyes. "Would you like to see it?" Tyson nodded his head enthusiastically, causing Anthony to smile more. "Good, oh, and it's not an ant..."  
  
Tyson smiled while Anthony took him farther into the house. 'Figures, creepy guy in a creepy house would have their favourite animal. Guess that the police will have to check out this house later. Hmm, what a pity, I like this house, sort of reminds me of her...' Tyson closed his eyes for a split second, pain reaching every part of his body thinking of her... of what she did...  
  
He opened his eyes to see Anthony at a door. He was fiddling with the lock. The Little Dragon just stood there for a few moments, waiting for him to open the door. When he finally did, he couldn't believe what he saw inside... A panther...  
  
Not only that, but this panther was familiar. It was her panther.... He knew who really owned this house. He knew where Mariah was most likely right now. More importantly, he remembered Anthony...  
  
"So Ant," the Little Dragon smiled. "Just for old time's sake, your bringing me to Galvanic," Tyson looked at him, only to see him pale. Yep, memory was a killer. "What old 'friend?' Couldn't believe that I would remember you?"  
  
"B-but, how?" the sneaky little two bit liar asked. "How did you know? You didn't know a few minutes ago." Tyson grinned, and in a flash, had him pinned to the wall.  
  
"Simple," he replied. "Don't you remember what happened a long, LONG time ago? When you and I first met?" he saw fear in the eyes of his little pray. "I'm guess that you remember." He let him down, and walked into the room.  
  
He petted Galvanic, knowing that it was alright. He listened, but heard only Ant's breathing. He listened harder, and heard what he was looking for...  
  
Another's breathe that he had thought to hear so many time while walking in the house, but chose to ignore it. He knew it was Ray, for no one else that he knew could breath that low and still be alive... He heard a thud, and turned.  
  
Ray was standing over Ant, who was unconscious on the floor. Ray grinned, and so did Tyson. Not, the Tiger and the Little Dragon were going to team up to find Mariah...  
  
"It took you long enough," Tyson mocked, walking toward him. "Couldn't you have gotten the surprise over with, that way, we could've left sooner."  
  
"You knew that I was there?" asked Ray, "How?"  
  
"Please," Tyson replied, rolling his eyes. He walked out into the corridor, and started down the path that he was sure he would find her. "If you breathed any louder, I could've shot you in the dark, blind folded at that." He saw Ray falter just a bit in the corner of his eye. He was surprised to hear Tyson like this. He was just getting used to his, so call, 'normal self,' and now he had to get used to a Tyson that could beat all of then on, 1 to 4, blind folded, with one hand tied behind his back. Not only that, but Tyson would only think of that as a warm up.  
  
"So," Ray said. "Where do we have to go?"  
  
"Just follow me," the Little Dragon replied, still going down the corridor. He could hear some pacing and some really light breathing low to the ground. Someone was being hurt. "Oh, and be ready to try and stop me if I go on a rampage."  
  
Ray was defiantly frightened now, Tyson could see him shiver with fear, even with his back to him... 


	21. Knowing

Hey everybody! Ami here! I'm SO happy today!  
  
Pixie: that's only because your "Prince" said yes when you asked him to the Sati Hawkins's Dance.  
  
Ami: *blushes* yeah... your point?  
  
Vern: our pint is... YOU'RE HERE TO WRITE! NOT FANTICIZE ABOUT A DANCE!  
  
Pixie: Vern, if you had a date to a dance, what would you do?  
  
Vern: spend hours in front of a mirror to make sure I look perfect *combs hand through hair*  
  
Ami: okay. hope you enjoy the chapter! Oh, I'm REALLY sorry for not getting it up sooner^_^;; oh, one more thing! I was reading back in some of my chapters to figure out something, and I kind of found out that I had already name the girl, I just... forgot^_^;; well, BYE!  
  
Knowing.  
  
"I'm just going to have to tell you then..." those words were thrown at the Kitten, piercing at her skin. The girl looked amused at he whimpering form cowering against the wall... "My Ty and I, we met in Egypt." Mariah closed her eyes, the words of the girl so strong, she could picture it clearly in her head... she never missed out in a single detail...  
  
//Vision Thingy//  
  
"Tyson," his mother said, opening the door to his room. "I have brought someone here for you to meet."  
  
"Who is it mother," Tyson said from his desk, not bother to look up from what he was doing.  
  
"Oh, it's a suitor," his mother stated happily. Tyson paled, and looked up. Standing just beside his mother was a girl. She had long black hair that went to her knees, and violet eyes that had red flaked into the middle. Tyson's gaze softened when he noticed that she looked nervous, instead of anxious, like all of the others. "You and Her will have to spend time with each other, alright?"  
  
"Alright mother," Tyson said, already knowing that he was going to have a great time with this unknown girl. His mother smiled, and left the room; Tyson turned his attention to the girl. "Well, what's your name?"  
  
"M-my na-name is Nitra," the girl stuttered, clearly more nervous then she had let on. Tyson smiled.  
  
"Feel free to be nervous," he said, seeing the girl fidget. "But there is no need. It's not like I'm going to hurt you. I have no reason to." The girl fidgeted even more. "Tell me about yourself."  
  
"Well," she said, as if trying to remember something that was told to her. "I'm from Saskatchewan, Canada. I like the colour blue. I have three bothers-"  
  
"Tell me about your brothers," Tyson interrupted.  
  
"Well, um, you see," she said, as if she didn't know what to say. Tyson smiled even more. "One of them was just born, his name is Carman. Another one is 7, his name is Kyle. And the oldest one is 21, his name is Devin."  
  
"Oh," Tyson replied, curious as to why she didn't know anything more about her brothers He put on a fake smile, not interested in knowing her anymore. "Is that all? If it is, then you may go."  
  
"NO!" she practically yelled. Tyson raised one of his eyebrows. "Um, I mean no..." she blushed, and looked at her feet. "I don't want to go back..." the last part was a whisper, but Tyson stilled hear her. Feeling pity on her, he walked toward her, and lifted her chin gently.  
  
"Then you shall not go," he smiled. "Come along, I want to show you something."  
  
//End Vision Thingy//  
  
"And, as you see, our relationship began," Mariah's eyes snapped open, and she looked at Nitra. "Even if my half of it wasn't real..."  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Mariah asked, biding her time.  
  
"That doesn't matter," Nitra replied. "But what does is the way I can get rid of you..." she smiled dangerously, and the Little Kitten cowered back into a ball. "Yes, how to get rid of you..." 


	22. Broken Heart

Ello! I'm getting all my ideas now! Well, not ALL of them, but some of them^_^  
  
Pixie: that's only because you've been daydreaming about your boyfriend.  
  
Ami: yeah... your point?  
  
Vern: *looks surprised* she admits it!  
  
Pixie: she's been admitting it for awhile now...  
  
Ami: yeah Vern, you're getting pretty slow...  
  
Vern: what ever,,,  
  
Pixie: *sigh* you're exposed to use periods, not commas.  
  
Vern: what ever,,,  
  
Ami: Vern has a new key signature for when he's irritated...  
  
Pixie: what's my key signature?  
  
Ami: yours is your bat.  
  
Pixie: oh yeah! *brings out bat*  
  
Vern: um......... hope you all enjoy the chapter! BYE!  
  
Broken Heart.  
  
'Where is she? She has to be here somewhere, but where? Humph, why do I have to find her anyway? What interest does she have in Mariah?'  
  
"Um... Tyson?" Ray asked, not sure of what to say. "Where are we going?  
  
"We're going to find Mariah," the Little Dragon answered calmly. "She's in this house, and most likely in danger, so keep quite so that I can hear breathing, or, most likely, talking."  
  
"Talking? Why talking" the Tiger asked.  
  
"Curiosity killed the cat," Tyson murmured. He could still hear the low breathing, but the pacing had stopped. "Good, she never stays still when she's hurting someone..."  
  
"Who?" Ray asked.  
  
"Someone I used to know..." the Little Dragon sighed, cursing himself for getting into his old habits.  
  
'What's with me and sighing? I mean, come off it! No one could rival my average sighing record for a day. DAMN! Where is she; more importantly, what does she was with Mariah?!'  
  
The two of them walked in silence, Tyson guiding them blindly through the maze of corridors, hoping to get closer to the breathing. Every now and then he took a wrong turn, only to get back on track a few seconds later.  
  
"Tyson," Ray said, irritated that he didn't know what was going on. "Where are we going?"  
  
"Here," was the simple answer. Tyson looked at him, "You stay here. I have to face her alone..."  
  
"Face who?" the Tiger asked.  
  
"...someone..."  
  
Tyson opened the door, slipped through, and closed the door in a matter of seconds. He saw Mariah cowering against the far wall, totally oblivious to the fact that he was there. He also saw...  
  
'...Nitra... I knew she would be here... but, why then, do I seem so surprised? Could it be that she still has a hold over my heart?'  
  
Tyson listened to her story, knowing every bit of it. It was eternally etched in his mind... he closed his eyes tightly as she neared the end... of her version...  
  
'She forgot to mention it... probable doesn't want her to know... probable part of her big plans...'  
  
//Flash Back//  
  
"Tyson!" she yelled down at him. "You could have broken your neck! Why do you ALWAYS insist on jumping off this balcony?"  
  
"Because its fun!" he yelled back, laughing. The two of them smiled. "Now, are you coming down Love? Or do I have to come and get you?"  
  
"I prefer the stairs," she called over her shoulder, disappearing into the house. A minute later she came out of the door and settled into his embrace.  
  
The two of them had come to the cozy little house to watch the sun rise over the oasis. There was nothing more beautiful then watching that sun rise... besides maybe Nitra...  
  
"Hmm..." the Little Dragon purred. "Love you, Nitra..." he could feel her stiffen in his embrace, but took no notice. "I think you're the one..." she looked up at him, and smiled. Slowly he leaned forward, and soon, the two of them were sharing the utmost souls to each other...  
  
~~~ Nightfall ~~ Tyson's Room ~~~  
  
"Tyson," Aretha said. "Are you sure that she's the one?"  
  
"Yes," he said his mind clearly on other things.  
  
"I don't trust her," Aretha replied, putting in her two cents. Tyson glared at her.  
  
"How could you not trust her?" he asked, almost yelling at his best friend. "She's the most innocent person in the world! Not to mention, the most beautiful..." Aretha rolled her eyes.  
  
"I mean-" she didn't get any farther, as the person in question leaped through the window; The expression on her clearly saying that she didn't expect either one of them to be up. "What are you doing here!?" Aretha yelled at the offending person.  
  
"I'm here to do this," she said, before throwing a dagger at her "Love," and leaping back out the window. Tyson fell down, clutching where the dagger hit him... his heart... 


	23. Why?

Ello! Thanks for all the reviews, although their not necessary!  
  
Pixie: liar. You know that it's usually only the reviewers that get you to write more.  
  
Vern: yeah, so don't go saying that it doesn't matter.  
  
Ami: shut up Vern!  
  
Pixie: yeah, you're just angry that Ami used HIS name instead of your in her profile.  
  
Vern: yeah,,, so?  
  
Ami: he's still angry about that?  
  
Pixie: I should know, I have to live with him...  
  
Ami: okay... OH YEAH! I'm getting a Yami^_^  
  
Vern: you are?  
  
Ami: yeah!  
  
Pixie: okay, you have to tell us everything;  
  
Name: Hair: Eyes: Clothes: How Evil:  
  
Ami: OKAY^_^  
  
Name: Dusk Hair: Dark chestnut brown, with dark black/red tips Eyes: half dark olive green, half dark grey (both colour blend into each other a bit) How Evil: Pixie X 100 should do^_^  
  
Vern: were did you come up with the name Dusk?  
  
Dusk: you see, her BFF just happens to call her Dawn, and since dusk is the opposite of dawn, she thought it would be appropriate.  
  
Vern: oh...  
  
Pixie: who calls you Dawn?  
  
Ami: my BFF Mindy  
  
Pixie: you mean the one I'm supposed to take after?  
  
Ami: yes^_^  
  
Pixie: guess that means I'll be calling you Dawn from now on.  
  
Ami: okay! Oh Vern? Could you introduce the chapter please?  
  
Vern: NO!  
  
Pixie: *pulls out bat*  
  
Dusk: *pulls out heat seeker*  
  
Vern: *shudders*recoils*anything else you can think of to show he's afraid* HOPE YOU ENJOY THE CHAPTER! HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
  
Why?  
  
'God, sounds like they had a great time... I can see why she doesn't like me... must be like I'm intruding on her relationship...'  
  
"Listen," Mariah said, standing up. "Anything that I did, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you and he had any type of relationship. Heck, I didn't even know that he was in love with anyone..." The girl stopped her pondering and looked at Mariah. Then she smiled.  
  
"Yes," Nitra finally responded. "I shouldn't have gone that far. I'm sorry as well."  
  
"You should be," a voice barked. Mariah looked behind her only to see Tyson. "After all the things you did! You even dyed your hair to fool me! HA! You don't even deserve the slight respect that Mariah is giving you!"  
  
"What do you mean Ty?" Nitra asked, quite shocked.  
  
"Don't play dumb," Tyson hissed. "You know perfectly well what I mean." He looked directly at her, and then backed off a bit. "Don't tell me you forget. No one could forget something like that..."  
  
"What did she do?" Mariah said, finding her voice. Nitra turned abruptly, and fear in her eyes. Most likely fear from what was to be told...  
  
"She tried to kill me..." was his harsh answer. Mariah looked into the black stones of Nitra's eyes, and say nothing but truth.  
  
"Why?" she asked her. "Why would you want to kill him?"  
  
"Because," she spat. "I needed money, and someone happened to want him dead." There was no trace of sorrow for what she did in her voice. "He's alive; I've got my money, what else is needed?" Mariah saw Tyson boiling, and cautiously moved to the side. "What?" Nitra said, noticing her movement. "Afraid that I'll hurt you?" the wicked witch smiled an evil smile. "Don't worry, I'll only hurt you if you get in the way of me and my Ty..."  
  
"THAT'S IT!" Tyson yelled. He pushed Nitra to the ground, and glared daggers at her. "You have NO right to call me Ty! Neither do you have right to even THINK about harming Mariah! She's now OFFICALLY being protected by Egypt! I'm part of Egypt Nitra, so if you want to harm her, harm me." The last part was hissed out in a deadly whisper; so low that the Mountain Cat could barely hear him.  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked; wonderment truly in her voice this time.  
  
"You know what I mean," Tyson hissed out again. Well, the Mountain Cat really didn't know what he meant. "Know, I'll have pity one you." He closed his eyes. "You have 30 seconds before I send my goons on you." His eyes snapped open. "LEAVE!" with that said, Nitra ran from the room, leaving a confused Ray standing there, wondering what had happened. 


	24. Confused Kiss

Ello! I'm on a writing spree today! LOL!  
  
Dusk: your point is?  
  
Pixie: don't worry, you'll get used to it.  
  
Vern: yeah, and with my help you'll get mhmff!  
  
Pixie: *finishes the gag* don't worry, you'll get used to him trying to hit on everyone too.  
  
Dusk: thanks * ties Vern up on wall and uses him as a punching bag*  
  
Pixie: *whistles* your right, she is about 100x eviler then me. Amazing!  
  
Ami: I know! Oh Dusk?  
  
Dusk: yes Aibou?  
  
Ami: could you a) let Vern down b) help me plan evil things for a story I WANT to write and c) introduce the chapter?  
  
Dusk: I shall a) not let Vern down b) help you plan evil things and c) introduce the chapter.  
  
Ami: um... could you also take lessons from Pixie on how to lighten up just a teensy weensy bit?  
  
Dusk: of course Aibou. I hope that all that have read this chapter enjoyed it. Good day.  
  
Confused Kiss  
  
Tyson took a couple deep breaths, closing his eyes, in hope that he would forget everything about her. No such luck.  
  
"Tyson?" Ray asked. "What happened?"  
  
"Nothing that you would understand Tiger," the Little Dragon replied, looking up at him. "Take Mariah back to White Tiger Valley. I'm going to see Kai." With that he left. He started to Kai's home, knowing that if he wasn't there, the servants there would treat him until he showed up.  
  
'God, why can't I think of anything else? I got over her a long time ago, I know that for sure. I even stopped having those disturbing dreams...'  
  
He was almost there; only about 15 minutes of walking. He started running, cutting the time to get there considerable. He surprised even himself at how fast he could run when needed.  
  
'Those dreams are haunting; I even had them after she tried to kill me. Those dreams where she'd kiss me...'  
  
"TYSON!" he heard an unmistakable voice call. He looked up and saw Kai, giving him a smile. "I was wondering when you'd get here."  
  
"Sorry Kai," he mumbled. "I needed to get away."  
  
"From?" Tyson smiled. If there was one way to make him feel better, Kai always found it.  
  
"Ray's questions about her," he answered. "She came back. She was trying to get back together with me, but I said no. she thought that Mariah was interfering..."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I guess she thought that the two of us had feelings for each other..."  
  
"No?"  
  
"I'm not sure Kai. I don't know how I feel about her anymore..."  
  
"Sleep?"  
  
"No. She'll be there, I know she will..." out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kai smirk.  
  
"Kiss?"  
  
"Yeah, the dream where she kisses me..."  
  
"You lose," Kai murmured slowly. "Never thought you would ever lose at this game..." Tyson was startled, to say the least. He KNEW that he could never lose this game. He had mastered it... hadn't he? "That girl's doing strange things to your head Tyson." Tyson could all but agree; he was thinking about...  
  
"Mariah," he whispered dizzily, as if remembering something from long, long ago. "Why am I thinking about Mariah..?" was all he got to say, before he tumbled forward, into the realms of darkness... realms of shadow... realms of dreams...  
  
****************************************  
  
The Little Dragon opened his eyes, only to see sheering darkness... he quickly snapped his eyes closed again, hoping, wishing, and willing for the darkness to stop. And it did...  
  
****************************************  
  
He opened his eyes again, only to be confronted in the desert, much like at home. He used his scaly wings as an advantage, and started gliding in the sky, hoping to see Dragoon, like in any other dream like this.  
  
He stared around, watching the clouds, when he heard whimpering. Curious, he followed the noise, hoping to help what ever creature was in need of help.  
  
Flying low to the ground, he saw the most peculiar sight ever; a phoenix, a dragon, and a mountain lion, all hunched together around an unknown object. What was even more peculiar was that these creatures were, indeed, Dranzer, Dragoon, and Galux.  
  
Dranzer and Dragoon he could understand, for the two powerful beast had been friends for many centuries, at least, in his dreams they had. But he had only seen Galux alone in his dreams, never with anyone, not even Drigger.  
  
The whimpering became louder, and the Little Dragon snuck a little closer to see what innocent lay in between the three of the beasts. He saw Dragoon's body wrapped around whatever it was, making a sort of nest. Resting her front paws on his body, with her back to the Little Dragon, was Galux, her face pressed against whatever it was. Looking toward him was Dranzer, delicately perched high on Dragoon long neck; she was the only one who actually knew he was there.  
  
His phoenix friend's eyes gleamed with slight understanding, and she beckoned him forward, into the mass of bodies. He headed his friend, glad that he had some warning; he was the only one who could help.  
  
He took to the sky again, gliding past Galux, lightly stoking her as he went by, only to face another Mountain Cat...  
  
'Mariah?' he croaked, not sure if it was true. He knew that he had not had a proper sleep in a long time, but to see her in his dream was; unsuspected.  
  
The Kitten looked up at her name being called, and instantly leapt into his unsuspecting arms. He just did what was natural; embraced her and listened.  
  
'Little Dragon!" she squealed happily. 'I though you hated me, I thought that you wouldn't come...'  
  
'Why would you think that Kitten?' what had caused him to say that was uncertain; it just slipped from his mouth.  
  
'Because,' she whispered, hiding her face in his neck. 'You ran away from me and Ray... at least, the real you did...' he couldn't believe this. She thought that she was in a dream. She thought that he was there to comfort her... he was...  
  
'But this IS the real me,' the Little Dragon murmured, not sure if she would hear. She did.  
  
'Tyson?' she asked, sounding desperate. Tyson nodded, and did the least suspected thing; he kissed her...  
  
That little kiss lasted eternity for the two of them, and the only thing that was a disappointment to them was when the light faded, and both went their separate ways...  
  
*****************************************************  
  
"Tyson?" someone asked. It sounded like Kai, but he couldn't be sure. "Tyson, are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine," he murmured, covering his eyes with his hand, hoping that he could just fade away and go back to his dream. "Let me sleep."  
  
"I thought you didn't want to sleep," someone smirked, amusement clear in the voice. Yep, it was Kai.  
  
"Go away Kai," he mumbled, throwing his arm in the Phoenix's face. "I don't feel like talking... LET ME SLEEP!"  
  
"You dream about a special someone?" the Phoenix asked.  
  
"So what if I did," the Little Dragon said, turning and looking at him. "Just let me dream!" Kai smiled.  
  
"You dream about Mariah?" he asked, looking the dragon in the eye.  
  
"So what if I did," the Little Dragon whispered, getting up. "Go away Kai, I have to get changed..." standing up, the Phoenix left the room, leaving the Little Dragon with his thoughts.  
  
'That dream was strange... why did I kiss her? And why did she call me Little Dragon? Better yet, why did I call her Kittin...' 


	25. What Now?

Ello! I hope you're all feeling great!  
  
Pixie: she made her friend try to kill her  
  
Vern: and this friend just happens to be really hard to tick off  
  
Dusk: *humming ding dong the witch is dead*  
  
Pixie: okay... I think I you made her to evil...  
  
Ami: in your opinion, yes; in my opinion, no.  
  
Vern: I particularly think she's to evil...  
  
Dusk: well, that's your problem, isn't it?  
  
Vern: *shudders* I guess so...  
  
Ami: GREAT! Now that we're at an agreement, let's start the chapter!  
  
Vern: *silently prays*  
  
Pixie: sure thing Dawn  
  
Dusk: of course Aibou  
  
Ami: great^_^ now, I hope that you enjoy the chapter!  
  
Dusk: *evil grin* and so do I... *thinks* flame my Aibou and you shall die...  
  
  
  
  
  
What Now?  
  
  
  
  
  
Mariah shot up, her face covered in cold sweat.  
  
'What was the dream about? Was that really him? Why did he kiss me? Where was the Little Dragon? That couldn't have been the Little Dragon; the Little Dragon wouldn't have kissed me, right?'  
  
Mariah sighed in frustration, getting off the couch and heading to the bathroom before someone (namely Ray) found her. She turned on the shower, knowing that they wouldn't mind. Tyson was the Prince of Egypt for god's sake! It's not like they'd care if they used a few extra bucks!  
  
'Stop thinking Mariah! If you do, somehow you'll end up thinking about him! Don't let him rule your mind!'  
  
She scrubbed the soap hard onto her skin, trying to forget the dream.  
  
'What good is lo- that stupid emotion anyway!? Its not it'll save my life! Heck, it almost killed me today! HA! I laugh at the mere word!'  
  
She took some shampoo and lathered it into her hair.  
  
'Get him out of your head! NOW!'  
  
Gently she rinsed it out, reaching for the conditioner.  
  
'It's not like he's the ONLY fish in the sea!'  
  
She lathered it in her hair as well, rinsing it out.  
  
'Maybe not, but he's the only fish in the sea for me...'  
  
She turned off the taps, and stepped out of the shower, wrapping herself in a towel.  
  
'And I would go down in the deepest oceans to find him again...'  
  
She walked out of the room, and headed down the hall.  
  
'And if he rejected me, I would wish him great happiness...'  
  
She went and sat on her bed, groaning...  
  
"I've fallen and I can't get up," she groaned again. "But the question is, what now?" 


	26. Confronting

Ello! Okay, ff.net isn't working for me right now, so I'm writing more.  
  
Dusk: and let's hope that your mother doesn't kick you off, right Aibou?  
  
Ami: right. Now, who should I get to introduce the chapter?  
  
Vern & Pixie: NOT ME! HIM/HER! *points to one other*  
  
Dusk: why don't we get them both to do it, Aibou?  
  
Ami: excellent idea^_^ go on now! Both of you introduce the chapter!  
  
Pixie: *swears in some unknown pixie language*  
  
Vern: HOW COME YOU ALWAYS AGAINST US!!  
  
Dusk: because I can...  
  
Vern: whatever... I hope that you enjoy the chapter about as much as I'd enjoy it if Dusk would stop beating me up and go on a date with me...  
  
Pixie: you sound like Dawn... well, I hope you enjoy it too......... *murmurs so that only readers can hear* and if you could help me find a way to help me get Dusk and Vern together, I'd appreciate it! *normal voice again* Now, bye!  
  
  
  
Confronting  
  
  
  
  
  
Tyson walked through the streets at a brisk walk, hoping to get back home soon.  
  
'I don't get it, why did I have that dream? Was it some sort of sign? Is she the one? God, I'm starting to sound like Aretha...'  
  
He crossed the street, able to see his house at the far end. He stopped, staring at it.  
  
'And why the heck, am I so nervous to get there? It's my own house; I can go there when ever I want. If she happens to be there, that's not my probable. It's not like I knew...'  
  
He hung his head in shame.  
  
'But I did know. I told Ray to take her there...'  
  
His head shot up, remembering something.  
  
'No, I told him to take her back to White Tiger Valley! She shouldn't be there. If she is, I have propur authority to kick her off!'  
  
He sighed, and started walking slowly back home.  
  
'That won't work... I would never kick her out of my home...'  
  
He looked up at his house, suddenly much closer then it was before.  
  
'I would embrace her...'  
  
He passed through the gate, and started to the door. He could hear a shower running.  
  
'And kiss her....'  
  
He opened the door, and heard the shower turn off. A few seconds later, a dripping wet Mariah walked out, clad in only a loose towel, doing nothing to help his internal dilemma. He followed her, slowly, hoping that wherever she was going, she would get there soon; that towel was getting too low...  
  
'DAMN THAT STUPID TOWEL! GET BACK MENTAL IMAGES! YOUR *NOT* WELCOME HERE! GET BACK!!'  
  
He followed her into her room, keeping silent, so that she wouldn't notice him. He wanted to watch her for a minute or two.  
  
'I'd better get out of here quick, before she starts to get changed. I will never escape those mental images that way...'  
  
He continued watching her, waiting for her to make some sort of sign for him to leave. Then he heard it, something he thought he would never heard from her sweet lips...  
  
"I've fallen and I can't get up," the words sounded sweet, and he wished that he could just swallow them..... "But the question is what now?" he stood there, dumbfounded, not sure if what that meant. Finally, he spoke.  
  
"Maybe I can help," he murmured. He watched her jump up, holding her towel tight against her body. If it wasn't for the fact that the towel now hugged every one of her curves, he would have thanked her.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice trembling.  
  
"This is my house, isn't it?" he replied, looking down. He heard her stepping forward, and felt her fingers gently lifting his head, forcing him to look into her almond eyes.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked suddenly. The Little Dragon didn't expect this, and did the first thing that came into his head; he kissed her.  
  
He wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her forward slightly; he felt her hands rest on his chest. He brought up his right hand, entangling it in her silken hair.  
  
His tongue left its small domain, seeking refugee in hers, and he starting lapping at her bottom lip. She gasped, and he darted into her mouth...  
  
'TYSON! Do you realize what you're doing! You're KISSING the girl who's been after Ray ever since the World Tournament!'  
  
He abruptly stopped, breaking contact with her. He looked at her for a second, before realizing that, without any restraints, her towel had fallen. Quickly, he turned around, mumbling a quick sorry, and rushed out of the room.  
  
'Tomorrow I will send her back to White Tiger Valley. Then the mere thought of her won't bother me... at least, I think it won't...' 


	27. Confused

Ello! Ami here! Hmm... not a lot of people have been reviewing lately, but that doesn't really matter.  
  
Dusk: it does Aibou, if you think it does. If you want, I can go out and kill who ever doesn't review.  
  
Ami: that's going overboard Dusk! I don't care if people review or not!  
  
Pixie: that might be true, but you still love it when they do review.  
  
Ami: your point?  
  
Vern: yeah Pix, who wouldn't like being reviewed?  
  
Pixie: um... I'll come back to you on that one *Ami and Vern try to get it out of her*  
  
Dusk: I hope you enjoy the chapter, as does my Aibou. Good Bye for now *starts humming ding dong the witch is dead*  
  
  
  
Confused  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Mariah quickly changed and started for the kitchen. Why had he done that? Why had she reacted to his kiss like that? She didn't know... she also didn't know that a certain Tiger had seen them...  
  
She sat down at the table, trying to think... how could she? Her mind was completely blank. She was still trying to figure out where all the warmth she had had just moments before had gone. In her moment of confusion, the Tiger decided that he should make his presence known, and sat in a chair across from her.  
  
"Hey Mariah," he started, but she didn't answer. "Hello? Earth to Mariah, come in Mariah? Anybody in that empty nut shell you call your head?" that got her attention.  
  
"What?" she asked, her head suddenly snapping up to glare daggers at him. "Did you say, Raymond?"  
  
"Um," he said hesitantly, not sure how she would react. "I asked if you were there... you kinda, spaced out there..."  
  
"Oh," she said, relaxing just a bit at his terrible lie; she told him to. "You're a terrible lair Raymond. But thanks anyway."  
  
"No prob," was his answer. He weighed his words carefully, before speaking next. "Just out of curiosity... what do you feel for Tyson?"  
  
"Everything..." she breathed. "I'm confused Ray. Just a few moments ago, I couldn't think about anything, even if I tried. And now that I have that capability back, all I can't think about is him and his..." she abruptly stopped.  
  
"His kiss?" he finished for her. She only nodded. He looked at her, making a decision. "Go and talk to him, now. And I won't let you say no." She nodded again, and slowly stood up and left the kitchen, leaving Ray behind.  
  
'WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! HE LEFT! HE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT YOU! HE LEFT GOD DAMMIT!!'  
  
She didn't listen to her brain as she stepped into the hallway that led to his room, and cautiously started walking down it. Soon she was at his door.  
  
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and knocked. A few seconds later, she heard the door open, and was hoping against hope for the feeling of his lips against hers... the feeling never came...  
  
"You're going back to White Tiger Valley tomorrow," was his only words, and the door closed, leaving a confused Kitten at the door of an all powerful Dragon. 


	28. Darkness

Ello! Okay, this chapter is out to SpiritGoddess (please tell me if I have your name wrong!). She sent me four whole reviews!  
  
Vern: wow, four reviews...  
  
Dusk: stop mocking my Aibou!  
  
Vern: *goes starry eyed* anything for you...  
  
Pixie: oh brother...  
  
Ami: actually, that's pretty accurate.  
  
Pixie & Vern: WHAT!  
  
Ami: since you're both my muses, only I know of your pasts. I can tell you if you want.  
  
Pixie & Vern: YES PLEASE!  
  
Dusk: too late; time for the new chapter.  
  
Ami: lol, yep, too late! Hope you enjoy the chapter! Bye^_^  
Darkness...  
Tyson sat on his bed, thinking about the day before. It had gone by so fast; it almost seemed like a blur. He almost regretted his decision to send Mariah back to her village...  
  
"No," he murmured to himself, trying to block out at least the remembrance of her sweet taste from his mind. "This is no time for regrets. She left awhile ago. Ray even came to tell you that they were leaving; and that was 3 hours ago..." he sighed, closing his eyes.  
  
Behind his eye lids, he saw something just as bad as his memory... Mariah was sitting on a rock, in the middle of a slow moving creek. She turned to look at him, and smiled her sweet smile. She then walked through the water, to him, and settled herself in his arms. Then slowly, he started to lean toward her and-  
  
'STOP THINKING LIKE THAT!' his eyes snapped open and he stood up. He started toward the door, eager to get some fresh air, and to think about a few things. He walked across the yard to his tree, and climbed it, not daring to close his eyes...  
  
"What's wrong with me," he asked, fighting back sobs. "I've never felt this way before, not even about..."  
  
"Nitra?" a voice asked. Tyson looked down, only to see Aretha, standing there, looking up at him. "You really love that girl, don't you?" Tyson nodded; Aretha smiled. "I told you see was the one."  
  
"No," Tyson said, shaking his head. He closed his eyes, only to see her; he opened them, only to be reminded of her. He couldn't escape her... "No, she isn't the one. She doesn't love me. She loves Ray. She always has; she's just denying it..."  
  
"No," another voice said. Tyson recognized it as Kai's, but didn't open his eyes. "You're denying it. She said that she didn't like Ray anymore; and even when she did like him, that's all it was, LIKE- and infatuation; nothing more." Tyson opened his eyes and glared at him, causing him to retreat just a bit.  
  
"Maybe your right," he started. "Maybe she is the one; maybe she does love me. But I don't know that. Alls I know is that I have this-" he paused, searching for the right word, "This obsession over knowing her every detail; this need to think of her all the time. Alls I know is that if she doesn't love me, as I love her, I'd die..."  
  
"Wow..." Aretha murmured; Kai and Tyson himself looked just as surprised at the Little Dragon's choice of words. "You just......... admitted your feelings for her. You can't tell me that you're just going to continue to sit around and mope around, now, can you?"  
  
"I can and I will," he said, looking up at the sky. "*I* will continue to mope around all the- oh no! I AM not saying this! I am not IN love with Mariah! I will not mope around, for I have no reason to! The last person I was in LOVE with was Nitra! And her love came WITH a stab in the heart! I will not sink so low as to fall in love with anyone! Not even if it is MARIAH!" (A/N: go over that last bit. This time, only read the words that are in caps, and the 'I' that has the star thingies around it. That's what he meant to say. Heehee!)  
  
"What ever Tyson," Kai said, pulling himself up into the tree to sit beside him. He did something completely unexpected; he slapped the Little Dragon. "Both me and Aretha know that you're in love with her. You just admitted it god dammit; why do you STILL believe that you don't lover her?!"  
  
"Because," the Little Dragon said icily, giving him a glare that gave even the Phoenix shivers. "She doesn't love me. And even if, by some miracle, she did; I would never deserve her..." he looked down, as if in shame, and closed his eyes, hoping to rid himself of the unshed tears dancing on his eye lashes.  
  
Suddenly, he felt two hands pressed against his back, pushing him out of the tree; upon which he fell out of, doing a tight flip to avoid from spraining his ankle. He looked up, only to see Kai jumping down. Both Aretha and Kai started walking toward him slowly.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked them, slowly crawling away.  
  
"Helping you," Aretha said. All that came next, was darkness. 


	29. Lions are Dangerous

ELLO! Okay, I've gotten just a 'little' stumped on my other story, so I'm going to read the LotR books again^_^  
  
Pixie: really? I LOVE those books!  
  
Vern: you haven't even read them Pix...  
  
Pixie: no, but I've seen the movies!  
  
Dusk: only two are out Pixie... VERN! STOP HUGGING MY LEG!  
  
Vern: *blushes* FINE! *kisses her*  
  
Ami: okay... don't know how that came to be... Pixie!  
  
Pixie: *hugs picture of Legolas* yes?  
  
Ami: well... um... 1) you have to help me push those two into a closet and not let them out until they admit that their officially an item and 2) your love for Legolas has gone a LITTLE overboard.  
  
Vern: *still kissing Dusk*  
  
Pixie: WHAT DO YOU MEAN! I *ONLY* HAVE ABOUT 14 DREAMS ABOUT HIM, ABOUT 57 DAY DREAMS ABOUT HIM, GET ABOUT 53 PICTURES OFF THE NET OF HIM, AND READ ABOUT 67 STORIES ABOUT HIM A DAY!  
  
Ami: and you say that you're not obsessed?  
  
Pixie: *blushes* yes...  
  
Ami: and what would obsess be to you?  
  
Pixie: thinking about him 24 7 like you do with Vernon  
  
Ami: *blushes* so? *uses special authoress powers to read her mind*  
  
{Pixie's mind: *random picture of him* *section labeled =PERVERTED PICTURES OF LEGOLAS=* *pictures of Elven wedding dresses* *dictionary from English to Elvish* *book of Elven phrases* *section labeled =IDEAS TO SUBDUCE LEGOLAS=* *picture of him with hearts around it* *altered picture of him with his arm around Pixie*}  
  
Ami: okay... you're worse then me...  
  
Pixie: what do you mean by that?  
  
Vern AND Dusk: *to deep into kiss to even care*  
  
Ami: I mean I don't have pictures of him  
  
Pixie: you wish you did  
  
Ami: yeah, but not perverted pictures of him.  
  
Pixie: *almost dies of embarrassment*  
  
Ami: and I don't think of subduing him. If he's happy with someone else, then I'm happy for him  
  
Pixie: *blushes until she looks like a tomato* um... *blushes (if possible) more* I hope you enjoy the chapter! And since reading a WHOLE page of us bickering isn't that much fun, I REALLY hope that you enjoy it... *sinks into DEEP thought*  
  
Ami: *rolls eyes* okay... just to tell anyone who cares, I'm going to write about Pixie and Vern's past in a original fanfics, if you all want to read it. Well, bye^_^  
Lions are Dangerous  
'I can't believe it... I'm actually going back to White Tiger Valley. Even after they through me off the team... I'm going back...'  
  
"Hey Mariah?" the said girl turned her head to the voice of Ray. "Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine," she sighed, looking back out the window. "It's just that I'm positive that I won't be welcomed back with open arms. Especially since Lee's probable still jealous of you..."  
  
"Why would Lee be jealous?" the Tiger said, before it hit him. "Oh, I bet he thought that you and I was an item..."  
  
"Yeah..." she breathed, closing her eyes. They were both silent for some time, before...  
  
"Wonder what he'll think when he finds out about you and Tyson..."  
  
"What?" she said, her head snapping toward him. "What about me and Tyson?"  
  
"Well, you see..." he said, blushing. "When you and him talked the day before last, I saw the two of you... um... I saw when he kissed you, and I saw your... um... reaction..."  
  
"Raymond?" she said icily. "You don't say a word, and I don't say a word. Alright?"  
  
"A word about what?" he asked, whimpering just a bit. Mariah smirked.  
  
"A word about that time when Lee found you and his little cousin in the woods," she said, watching Ray go all red. "And why Lee found you and little Kimberly covered in leaves and grass... AND why Kimberly was SO tired..."  
  
"Um..." Ray blushed even more at the thought. "Well... you see...um... err..." Mariah laughed at his hesitation.  
  
"Just don't say anything Raymond," she chuckled, turning back to the window. "And let me sleep for the rest of the trip..."  
  
"Okay Mariah," he smiled. "Goodnight."  
  
"G'night Ray," she slurred, already able to see a dim outline of her meadow in her mind...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
She opened her eyes only to see Galux standing in front of her; in human form. Mariah gasps at the beauty of her; she had reddish pink hair that fell to her knees, cheery eyes that were touched by the sun, with hints of green in them, and a lovely smile.  
  
'Galux?' she asked, not sure of what to say.  
  
'Yes?'  
  
'How are you able to look like a human?'  
  
'Very simple,' Galux replied, sitting next to her. 'This is your dream, and I may take which every form, whether it is bit beast, human, or even bird.'  
  
'Wow,' was all she was able to say, before she looked out at the river; something drastic had changed. 'Galux? What happened to the desert?'  
  
'Oh,' Galux said sadly, looking out upon it as well. 'The fates have separated your dream realms... they say you no longer need him...'  
  
'What!?' she practically screamed. 'Don't need him? I don't know if I'll live without him! And their saying that I don't need him?!?'  
  
'Yes,' another voice said. She turned around, only to see Dragoon, also in a human form. He had shoulder length dark blue hair, which was streaked in a lighter, silvery blue. His eyes were a steely blue grey, with hints of gold in it. 'Because it's true, you don't need him; you want him. Need and want are two different things.'  
  
'But I DO need him!' she said, wanting to knock both of their heads in. 'I need him SO much...' she abandoned that idea, a new pain hitting her, and she curled up on the ground crying, only to feel it give away. She didn't dare to open her eyes, knowing by instinct that all there was going to be was a black void. 'I need you... I need you do much... Tyson...'  
  
She felt someone's armed wrap around her, but paid no head; she only curled up to whomever it was, sobbing in to their shoulder.  
  
'Shh...' the person said. 'It'll be alright, Kitten, it'll be alright...'  
  
Mariah finally looked up, only to see the face of the Little Dragon... or was it?  
  
'Little Dragon?' she asked, almost afraid of the answer.  
  
'No,' he said, his hair sweeping her face when he shook it back and forth. 'It's me, Tyson...'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*BING!!*  
  
*will you please secure your seatbelts, we will be landing shortly*  
  
*BING!!*  
  
"Wha-what happened?" Mariah asked, whipping the sands of sleep from her eyes. "Are we there already?"  
  
"Yep," Ray chirped, happy to be home. "And I asked one of the flight attendants if I could use the phone, and I phoned ahead. Lee has all but forgiven you, and the White Tiger's are going to be there to pick us up."  
  
'Oh great... I get to deal with Lee right away instead of in an hour... my life is SO swell...'  
  
*BING!!*  
  
*it is now safe to leave the airplane*  
  
*BING!!*  
  
"Guess we can go," Ray chirped some more, forgetting the panic that the Kitten was in earlier. "Com on!" he grabbed her arm and pulled her up, grabbing her small bag, and trudging along the rows of people.  
  
After about five minutes, they finally got outside, and Ray took a deep breath, smelling the fresh air.  
  
"It's great to be back at home," he murmured, looking around for the others. "Now only if I could find- AHA!! There they are!" grabbing the unsuspecting Mountain Cat's hand, he pulled and tugged her along to meet the White Tigers.  
  
"Ray! Mariah!" Kevin jumped for joy. "I'm SO glad your back! Now it'll be easier to bug Lee about the wedding you two will have!"  
  
"WE ARE NOT GETTING MARRIED!!" both Ray and Mariah shouted, startling many people.  
  
"What's this?" Lee said, raising an eyebrow, expecting it from Ray, but not Mariah. "Change of personality Mariah?" everyone could see that he stood straighter, as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders.  
  
"Yes Lee, I do," she said, her eyes glazing over; all she remembered was her dream and what the 'Fates' had decided; Lee must have been one of those Fates... "And it has NOTHING to do with you; but everything to do with my Little Dragon..." Mariah digested what she herself had said, and looked at Lee's reddening face; she blushed.  
  
"Who is this 'Little Dragon'?" he asked oh to calmly.  
  
"No one of your concern, Lee," she said, closing her eyes, only to feel his embrace; his kiss... "So leave it be."  
  
"You were sent here because you were getting in someone's hair," he pressured, turning slightly. "And if I find out that anyone hurt you, in ANY way, they are dead." He gave her one last look in the eye, before turning around, signaling that it was time to leave.  
  
Mariah looked up at the sky, and couldn't help but notice the particular shade of blue that the clouds had taken.... 


	30. Dragon's Arrival

Ello all! I have yet ANOTHER muse to introduce you all to!  
  
Dusk & Vern: cool!  
  
Pixie: and I should care, why?  
  
Ami: because my friend Lady Beyblade gave him to me as a present!  
  
Pixie: and I should care, why?  
  
Ami: because... his main purposes in live would be to serve me (MUAHAHAHAHA!!!) and be a punching bag for you.  
  
Pixie: really?  
  
Ami: Yep^_^  
  
Pixie: yay!  
  
Ami: okay y'all! This is Jock!  
  
*green eyed boy with brown hair appears out of no where*  
  
Jock: where the hell am I?  
  
Ami: you're in my story Cat's Dream!  
  
Jock: and I'm here, why?  
  
Ami: my friend Lady Beyblade gave you to me!  
  
Jock: oh, you mean the bratty little b*tch with the stupid whining baby niece?  
  
Vern: how dare you!  
  
Dusk: my Aibou values Lady Beyblade friendship a lot!  
  
Pixie: and to make fun of cute little 'eko!  
  
Ami: *grows three times bigger in rage*  
  
Jock: *tries to run*  
  
Pixie: *grabs him* oh no you don't!  
  
Vern: *flies him to roof and ties him upside down*  
  
Dusk: *readies a rocket launcher*  
  
Pixie, Vern & Dusk: *shove rocket launcher into Ami's hands* here!  
  
Ami: thank you *launches*  
  
Jock: *Lying on floor with little X's as eyes*  
  
Ami: and I shall have him live to go through more torture... MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Vern: that should teach him to make fun of cute little 'eko...  
  
Ami: question. Do you all know what she looks like?  
  
Pixie: um... no  
  
Ami: HAHAHA!  
  
Vern: neither do you!  
  
*fight starts*  
  
Dusk: *shakes head* we hope you enjoy the chapter, and we all wish that Lady Beyblade get well soon, and that Meeko doesn't have you working to hard. Good day.  
Dragon's Arrival  
The Little Dragon stirred, but didn't dare open his eyes; he was slightly afraid of it...  
  
*BING!!*  
  
*will you please secure your seatbelts, we will be landing shortly*  
  
*BING!!*  
  
"Oh great," he groaned upon hearing the familiar sound. "I'm on a airplane... wait, how did they get me an airplane?" His eyes snapped open, and he moved to check his seatbelt; it was already done up. "And how did they do it without me noticing?"  
  
"Very simple," a small voice said; he looked over, only to see a small child sitting there. "They carried you here, put you in the chair, and did up your seatbelt; I saw it all."  
  
"Um, thanks," the Little Dragon said back to the little girl. "So 'princess', what's your name?" the girl giggled.  
  
"I'm Miranda," the 'princess' smiled. "Who are you?" he decided to humor her.  
  
"I'm Prince Tyson."  
  
"Don't be silly!"  
  
The comment really hurt. It had been a long time since someone had said that to him... Even if it was only in a dream, he remembered it fluently.  
  
//Flashback//  
  
The Little Dragon looked around the desert land; it reminded him of the Nile. There were a few trees on one side, and great pyramids in the far distance, and on the other side, there was nothing but a vast sea of sand.  
  
He looked upon it all for the first time, wondering if each tiny grain represented each person on earth.  
  
"To many people," he murmured, letting a lone tear fall down his cheek. "And not a single one will ever understand this loneliness..."  
  
"What loneliness?"  
  
The Little Dragon turned around quickly, only to see a young girl that looked to be about his age; which was 6.  
  
"The loneliness you feel when everybody expects you to be something you know you'll never be," he said in a monotone, not sure if he could trust the girl. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"  
  
"My mommy told me not to tell strangers my name," the girl said, sitting next to him. "And I don't know what I'm doing here."  
  
"Well, if you don't know why you're here," the Little Dragon started, looking the pink haired youth up and down for a second. "Would you mind keeping me company?"  
  
"Of course!" she giggled, as if it was the dumbest question on earth. "Why wouldn't I keep you company? You're here all alone, I'm here all alone; we can be all alone together!" they both smiled.  
  
"Thank you," he said, looking back you at the water. "I'm Prince Tyson, by the way." The girl started laughing.  
  
"That's silly!" she said to the world. "There are no princes left! My mommy said that they died a long time ago! Now they've been replaced by a person call government; you should know that!"  
  
"I do," the Little Dragon said, allowing another tear fall; he stood up, hiding his eyes under his bangs, for they were the windows to your soul. "More then you think..." and with that, he ran off...  
  
//End Flashback//  
  
"Tyson?" the Miranda said, snapping him out of his ravine. "Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine princess," he said, smiling at her.  
  
*BING!!*  
  
*it is now safe to leave the airplane*  
  
*BING!!*  
  
"Well, that means that I have to go," Tyson said to her. "Goodbye Princess." And he stood up and left, just like he did to that pink haired girl in his dream... 


	31. Little Cousin

Ello y'all! I'm kind of moody today...  
  
Jock: you still upset about that guy?  
  
Dusk: what guy?  
  
Ami: some guy harassed me and my friend...  
  
Dusk: WHO IS IT!!! I'LL KILL HIM!!!!!!!!  
  
Jock: I'm proud of the guy.  
  
Pixie & Vern: *veins pop out of head *  
  
Dusk: may I?  
  
Ami: be my guest  
  
Dusk: *ties Jock to dart board and starts throwing darts at him*  
  
Pixie & Vern: *join in* MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Ami: *sweat drop* I think that they can be REALLY evil sometimes... its to early... well! I hope you all enjoy the chapter! Bye Bye^_^  
Little Cousin  
"I'm telling you Lee!" she screamed, running deeper into the woods. "Nobody hurt me in anyway! Now would you PLEASE leave me be!"  
  
"Stop running and come back Mariah!" he yelled back to her. "If you were alright, you wouldn't have freaked out when Kevin asked you to Beybattle him!"  
  
"Well IF you remember!" she called over her shoulder; she noticed the river coming up. "YOU kicked me off the team! Therefore, I can take that challenge as a way to see my moves!"  
  
"Your 'moves' haven't changed at all!" Lee called back to her, not noticing the river. "Now slow down and tell me what has gotten into you!" so she did what he asked.  
  
She slowed down and turned around, but he didn't think she would, so he didn't think to stop. Before he could even think it, he had run into the river.  
  
"Good one Lee!" the Mountain Cat giggled. "Now that you've cooled down, you can head to the airport; don't you have to pick up you little cousin Miranda?"  
  
"Oh yeah!" he looked at his watch, a panic stricken look taking over his features. "SHIT! I'm late how it is! It'll take me 30 minutes just to run there!"  
  
"Then hurry up," the Pink Angel coed, quite happy that she was getting rid of him. "You don't want her to get lost or anything."  
  
"Yeah well," he smirked; something was up. "I promised her that I knew someone who had 'pink hair' like a certain Beyblader on TV. And she wants me to bring this person who has 'pink hair' to the airport..."  
  
"You work hard to make me miserable," Mariah finally gave in. "But fine, lead the way."  
  
"Why thank you," Lee smirked; he got out of the river and started jogging toward the airport. "Hurry up now! Wouldn't want to lose you!"  
  
"Wouldn't want to lose you," she mocked when he was out of hearing distance. "You are the one who should worry about getting lost Lee..... you already lost when you tried to win my heart..." with that, she started at a run to catch the Chinese teen. 


	32. Surprise and What the HELL was that Phoe...

Ello y'all! I'm FINALLY back!!!  
  
Vern: yes, we're all very proud of you...  
  
Dusk: where's Pixie and Jock?  
  
Ami: oh, they went to my joint Fic I'm writing with foreva-urz called Stealing My Heart. I encourage you to read it!  
  
Dusk: or else...  
  
Ami: DUSK!! They don't have to read it if they want!!  
  
Vern: HEY! She can't help it! You're evil enough as it is! And she's supposed to be your darker side!! That IS why she's your Yami!!  
  
Ami: I know, but she's supposed to kill Jock and help me with the darker parts of my story! Not scare the reader away!! *voices fade into the back round and everything else concentrates on Dusk*  
  
Dusk: *sweat drops* um... they'll be awhile... I hope you enjoy the Fic!!  
Surprise... and What the HELL was that Phoenix Thinking!!  
Tyson aimlessly walked around the airport, not quite sure of a destination... heck, he didn't even know if he was in China, let alone at White Tiger Valley...  
  
"Great," he sighed, slumping into a chair. "I have no clue where I am, I have the urge to kill Kai, who conveniently, isn't here, and worse of all, I don't know anyone..."  
  
"You know me," someone said (Dusk: dun dun dun... *Vern and Ami still fighting in the back round, Ami attempting to write at the same time* um... me thinks I'll take over for a bit...). Tyson looked up, only to see Miranda. "And the only clue I have to where I am is that I'm in White Tiger Valley Airport; but I don't really know who Kai is."  
  
"Don't worry 'bout it," Tyson smiled, pulling the small girl into his lap; surprisingly, she didn't object to his company, and settled peacefully down. Tyson then noticed his bag right where she used to be. "Did you bring that?"  
  
"Yep," she said cheerily. "I noticed it in the seat next to yours, and when I checked the strap thingy majiggy, it had your name on it."  
  
"Smart Little Princess," he said, surprised that she actually found all that out in such a short time; he lifted her up and put her into the chair next to him. "Would you mind if I drew a picture of you?"  
  
"A picture?" she repeated, looking excited. "Yay!" she started dancing in her seat.  
  
"Whoa, calm down, okay?"  
  
"Okay," she settled down a bit, and Tyson pulled out his pencils, a new piece of paper, and a random book that Kai must have thrown in to write on. "What will it look like?"  
  
"Like something magical," Tyson whispered, already drawing her cherub features. "Hey, what's your favourite animal?"  
  
"A dove," she whispered back. "Why?"  
  
"Just wanted to know."  
  
The picture started out simple; she was sitting oh a tree stump, in the middle of the forest, with a baby dove cupped in her hands, looking up to the heavens. Then he started to colour. Her auburn hair danced in the wind around her, and her cinnamon eyes were closed. She wore a shimmering white dress, hemmed in a soft blue, matching the little blue flowers he drew in her hair. Behind her, the elements clashed and battled, but nothing but the sun and beautiful flowers fell upon her shoulders.  
  
He did it quick, he knew, but it was still beautiful. The drawing only took about 2 minutes, and the colouring took about 18.  
  
"Done," he announced, carefully putting his name in the corner; he gave it to her. "Here you go."  
  
"No," she said simply, giving it back to him. "You keep it, to remember me by."  
  
"T-thank you," the Little Dragon murmured, baffled. "I'll just put it in my bag." And the most unbelievable thing happened; when he reached out to take him bad, it tipped over, just a bit, and the contents of it fell out. "Oh great."  
  
"Let me help!" Miranda chirped, jumping out of the chair, and picking up everything before Tyson could even think. She then pulled the bag and everything else onto the chair with her, and started to carefully place them all in, pausing now and then to look at some of the pictures; Tyson just closed his eyes, letting the little Princess do what ever she wanted. "OH, OH! I love this one!!"  
  
The Little Dragon opened his eyes, knowing that he should explain it, and why he drew it; then he saw what it was...  
  
"Oh um..." he was startled to see that picture; he just stared at it, saying everything automatically. "That picture is of my love Mariah, and her guardian. The mountain lion and the dragon represent our BitBeasts, Galux and Dragoon..."  
  
"Your love?" Miranda repeated innocently, cocking her head to one side cutely.  
  
"Yes..." he said, before realized what he had said. "I mean no. She's not my love! She's just a really good friend," he grabbed his bag, forgetting about the picture, "Now I have to go. I have a friend who lives here and who can help me out. Bye Little Princess!"  
  
And he ran, practically kicking himself because he left a new friend sitting there, with a picture that he drew, telling her that the girl in it was his love.  
  
"God," he murmured to himself, following the direction of a sign to White Tiger Valley. "What have I gotten myself into... and am I blind or what for not seeing that sign?"  
  
He slowed down a bit, and looked at his surroundings. He was on a dirt trail, surrounded on either side with trees, random birds flying throughout the branches. Sighing, he walked into the tree line a bit, out of sight of other people.  
  
"How am I going to find Ray?" he mumbled, cursing his stupid habit of sighing once again. "And how am I going to get payback on Kai..?" then he heard something, or rather someone, that he didn't expect to heard.  
  
"LEE!! Slow down already!!"  
  
"Come on Mariah!! I was supposed to be there to see the plane land! It landed about 20 minutes ago!!"  
  
"WELL FINE!! I'M GOING BACK TO THE VALLEY!!"  
  
"I'm slowing down!! I'm slowing down!!"  
  
"Why thank you."  
  
The Little Dragon stopped short, and peeked through the trees; sure enough, there was Mariah, slightly bent over, trying to catch her breath, and Lee, panting heavily, but refusing to let it wreck his composure.  
  
"Come on Mariah," Lee said a little shakily. "We have to get going; now."  
  
"Just give me a minute Lee," Mariah answered, peering up at him through her bangs. "We have a lot of time now; we're only a few minutes until we get there at walking speed. Let me catch my breath, and I'll catch up with you, okay?"  
  
"Fine," Lee said in a monotone voice. "Just don't go 'daydreaming' about 'your little dragon', alright?"  
  
"I can go daydreaming about anything or anyone I want to, Lee," she hissed at him, and Tyson was having a little trouble at keeping a straight face at Lee's expression. "Now, go pick up your cousin."  
  
"What ever," he replied back to her, turning to head off. "Just remember, we are your friends, and you can trust us. I really don't understand why you don't."  
  
"Just remember Lee," she whispered dangerously, in a tone that the Little Dragon noticed was much like the one he had first used on her. "You kicked me off the team, and that even if you guys are my friends, you still have to earn my trust, again. And *I* still don't understand why you don't understand that I'll never like you, or Ray for that matter."  
  
"Hmphf," was all she got as an answer, as he started off, right to where the Little Dragon had come from. Now it was only Mariah; and Tyson nervously watching her... 


	33. Hmm Nice

Ello y'all!! Okay, you may all thank Samantha for getting me to write this^_^  
  
Dusk: yes, she's been lazy for a while now...  
  
Vern: WILL ANYONE HELP ME!!!!!!  
  
Ami: oh yeah! Forgot to tell you all that my friend Mimi gave me two little chibis^_^  
  
Chibis: *cling onto Vern and start chewing on his wings*  
  
Ami: they're Chibi Tyson and Chibi Mariah^_^ oh, I need to give them little names, so if you guys have any, tell me!!  
  
Dusk: aren't you forgetting something?  
  
Vern: HELP!!!!!  
  
Ami: oh yeah^_^ if you go to my profile, you can read a little challenge that I have to keep me busy! And don't worry; you don't have to pay attention to it if you don't want to!!  
  
Dusk: aren't you forgetting something?  
  
Ami: um... yes, I am....  
*FIRE WORKS*  
  
THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO SAMANTHA^_^ THANK YOU!!!!  
  
*END FIRE WORKS*  
Ami: HOPE YOU ENJOY THE CHAPTER^_^ Bye Bye!!  
Hmm... Nice...  
She looked at Lee's retreating back, and sighed, voicing her thoughts under her breath. She turned her head slightly, and something caught her eye...  
  
Turning to what ever it was, she starting walking toward it...  
  
She smiled as she looked at the blue flower that she saw, but shook herself out of her ravine when she noticed the dark shade of midnight blue it was...  
  
"Get a hold of yourself Mariah," the Mountain Cat could have sworn that there was something else there, but she couldn't dwell on it. "You have to go meet up with Lee, remember?"  
  
She straightened up and starting walking toward the airport, the 'something else' still fresh in her mind....  
  
"Snap out of it Mariah," the Mountain Cat sighed; the next thought was almost as bad.  
  
Her and Tyson on the trial where she just was; he stepping out of the tree line and picking the flower that she was looking at, only to give it to her...  
  
"Stop it Mariah," she scolded herself. "He isn't even in this country, let alone here."  
  
She slowed down her pace just a bit, regretting forcing her mind out of the little daydream...  
  
"He's just a boy..." she needed to believe it herself... "Nothing else. That kiss he gave you in Japan was nothing to you, and these thoughts are meaningless. He's just a boy..." if only she'd believe it herself...  
  
She blinked, and instead of being welcomed by the normal blackness, she was enveloped by midnight blue...  
  
"This means nothing," she chanted. "He means nothing. He's just another person, he means nothing..."  
  
She sighed once again, relishing in the air... the sensation of breathing... only to remember his sent.....  
  
"He's a boy.... just another boy in this world," she whispered, willing her mind to believe it... "He just you like everyone else.... He's just a boy..."  
  
The wind blew slightly, chilling her, and she wrapped her arms around her to keep warm... she remembered his embrace...  
  
"He means nothing to you..." her will was starting to break... "Absolutely nothing... Just like Ray meant nothing to you..."  
  
She forced her mind on Ray, allowing her mind a distraction... that was only allowed to last a few seconds... she stopped...  
  
"No, he doesn't mean nothing to you..." she sighed, trying to force the thought away from her mind... "... he means everything to you..."  
  
A tear made its way down her cheek, as she squeezed herself, trying to get rid of the ongoing thoughts...  
  
"He isn't just a boy... he's a prince..." she started her slow pace again......... "A prince who stole your heart..."  
  
She blinked away another tear, seeing more of those midnight blue flowers scattered around the trees...  
  
"And it's not like that kiss meant nothing..." she leveled with herself... with her feelings... "No, it meant everything..."  
  
Her gaze continuously darted around, finding the midnight flowers, absentmindedly following the trail...  
  
"He doesn't treat you like everyone else..." she shut her eyes tightly, and opened them to the light. "He treats you like your special..."  
  
Her hand left her side and carefully picked one of the flowers that had embedded itself in a small hollow of a tree, and brought it up to her ear...  
  
"And Ray does mean something to you..... he's your friend......" she placed the flower her ear, and brought her hand to her lips...... "And Tyson means more to you then him......."  
  
She breathed again, moving her hand back down to her side... once again remembering his scent...  
  
"God... he's everywhere..." she noticed the airport, and thanked whomever it was looking over her... "...everywhere....."  
  
She stopped short, everything that she had said crashing down on her shoulders...  
  
She... loved him..?  
  
No, she didn't love him... she couldn't love him..... he was a prince...  
  
It was impossible for her to love him... he didn't even love her...  
  
"No, I don't love him..." she let herself fall to the ground, hugging herself, her eyes tightly closed... "I can't love him..."  
  
How could she love someone that didn't even want her around..?  
  
How could he ever love her...  
  
That was the absolute problem... he couldn't... she was just some girl.... just some girl...  
  
"Why would he even bother...." she pulled her knees to her chest, resting her forehead on them... "I'm just some idealistic girl... not some supermodel that he will most likely end up with..."  
  
He would never feel like that for her... never...  
  
She shouldn't even feel like that for him... the feelings would never be returned... they could never be returned...  
  
Even if they could be returned... they wouldn't... he didn't feel for her like she did him... no, she didn't feel for him... she couldn't feel for him...  
  
"It's hopeless... I shouldn't even try..." she hugged herself tighter, wishing that she could escape to the sweet oblivion of sleep... there, she could be with Galux... and Dranzer... and Dragoon....  
  
"What's hopeless?" someone chirped (Ami: Zzzz... Dusk: me and Vern will take over for a bit....). The Mountain Cat looked up, only to see Lee and who she supposed was his cousin. "Because nothing is hopeless!"  
  
The first thought that came to the Kitten when she saw her was 'a living cherub'...  
  
The girl had straight auburn hair that fell to just below her shoulders, carefully reflecting the sunlight. Her cinnamon eyes danced with mirth, and her smiling features barely matched the glowing smile she gave out to the world...  
  
"Well? Are you going to get up? It's very dirty down there," the little girl chirped again, cocking her head cutely to one side.  
  
Mariah just hugged her knees closer to herself and looked down to watch the earth.  
  
"Mariah, are you feeling okay?" she heard Lee state; she didn't answer. "Come on Mariah, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings."  
  
She still didn't budge...  
  
He didn't understand...  
  
He couldn't understand...  
  
She wouldn't let him understand...  
  
"Is your name Mariah?" she heard the girl chirp; she didn't move... "My name is Miranda, but my new friend that I met on the plane calls me Princess."  
  
"Miranda hasn't your mom ever told you not to talk to strangers!" she heard Lee scold the little girl; she still didn't budge...  
  
"Yeah, but he was really nice!" Miranda sounded cheerful still, even though she was being scolded...  
  
"That doesn't matter! He could have been a really mean guy!" Lee countered... he wasn't even giving her a chance...  
  
"But he didn't end up being a mean guy! He even drew a picture of me when he got off the plane! And he accidentally left one of the pictures that he drew....." an artist..... like Tyson........  
  
"Really? Can I see it?" Lee asked.  
  
Lee didn't deserve to see the picture... like he didn't deserve her heart... like he didn't deserve to help her...  
  
"No, you can't," Miranda chirped, plopping down next to Mariah. She could have hugged her... if only she wasn't thinking of him...  
  
"And why not?" Lee sat down too, knowing full well that they weren't going anywhere soon.  
  
"Because you were being mean," at that, Mariah smiled... but they didn't see...  
  
Why should they see, when it would only last for a second... when she would only return to wallow within herself.....  
  
His embrace... she remembered his embrace...  
  
Warm...  
  
Safe...  
  
She snapped up, taking shallow breaths. Looking down, she saw Miranda and Lee looking at her with confused looks.  
  
"Where are you going Mariah?" Miranda asked innocently. The Mountain Cat didn't answer, just stared at her.  
  
"Mariah?" Lee stood up, not knowing if she was alright or not.  
  
She still didn't answer...  
  
"Mariah?" Miranda stood up as well, slipping her small hand into hers. "Can you take me to White Tiger Valley?"  
  
The Mountain Cat stared at her hand for a minute, and then slowly started walking, her mind slowly drifting to the whisper of the wind...  
  
"Are you okay Mariah?" she distantly heard Lee say, but she wasn't paying that much attention...  
  
"Hey Mariah! Look out!" and she tripped over a rock, and fainted on the way down...  
  
****************************  
  
The Mountain Cat opened her eyes, glad to finally be back... it had indeed been a long time since she had visited her little dream realm... to long...  
  
'Mistress?' the Kitten turned around, only to see Galux.  
  
'Galux! I've missed you!' she exclaimed as she ran toward her friend. 'I've missed you...'  
  
'It has not been long Mistress,' the Lion purred, glad to be with her Mistress indeed. 'But it is about time that you found the young Master...'  
  
'What do you mean Galux?' the Kitten asked, pulling away just a bit.  
  
'She means that you must go and find my Master,' she turned upon hearing Dragoon's voice, seeing him in his human form. 'The fates are wrong, you do need him, and you want him even more...'  
  
'But why are you now telling me that the Fates are wrong?' the Kitten asked the Dragon. 'Why not before?'  
  
'Because before, we didn't know your destiny,' he said, walking briskly past her and to Galux. 'We didn't know our destiny........ The two of your are destined to be together, no matter what fate throws in your way...' he wrapped his arms around the now human Galux, and she laid her head against his chest, closing her eyes, relishing in his mere presence...  
  
Then the unthinkable happened...  
  
An earthquake... they on either side... not together... Dragoon and Galux were separated... and it was her fault...  
  
'Why did that happen?' she asked Dragoon, silently weeping. He said nothing, just wrapped his arms around her, letting her weep upon his shoulder...  
  
His midnight blue cape flowed around the two of them, its hood pulled down... the silken white shirt he wore was now wet from her tears, and his silken black pants gently brushed against her's... Dragoon spoke...  
  
'This happened, because it is impossible for the two of us to be together,' he said sadly, briefly looking over his shoulder at Galux... his Galux... 'Or so the Fates say... the real impossibility is that my Master and you, young Mistress, are not together...'  
  
'But, that in itself is impossible...' the tear streaked face of the Kitten looked up to meet Dragoon's gaze. 'It cannot be... it will never be...'  
  
'Do you want it to be?' he asked, gently letting her go.  
  
'Yes,' was all she said, looking in his eyes, trusting him...  
  
'Do you wish for it to be?' he asked again, as if hoping for something.  
  
'Yes,' she said desperately, closing her eyes, fighting back tears...  
  
'Do you know, that the Fates aren't always right?' he asked, knowing what the answer would be... knowing that she knew...  
  
'Yes,' she let the tears flow, not caring anymore... she wanted her Little Dragon... she needed her Little Dragon... she needed Tyson.....  
  
'Young Mistress?' a new voice said. She looked up, and saw a woman. She had violent red hair that fell to her elbows, pulled back into a pony tail, and her violet eyes held hints of blue and red...  
  
'D-Dranzer?' the Kitten asked shakily. 'Is that you?'  
  
'Yes young Mistress,' Dranzer smiled. 'We are all here to comfort you...'  
  
'But it's my fault...' the Kitten continued to cry, falling soundlessly to the ground. 'It's all my fault...'  
  
It was here fault that Dragoon and Galux weren't together...  
  
It was her fault that they couldn't be together...  
  
It was her fault that they were all here...  
  
... to help her...  
  
'What's your fault?' the mighty phoenix asked, stooping down and hugging the Kitten. 'Why are you crying?'  
  
'It's all my fault... you all know it... why try to help...' she looked up. 'It's not ever going to happen...'  
  
'But it must... you love-' she started, but the Kitten quickly jumped up out of her grasp, interrupting her.  
  
'I do not love him! I cannot love him!' she chanted, willing herself to believe it. 'I do not love him. I cannot love him. I do not love him... I cannot love him...?'  
  
'Yes you can,' she looked up once again, but Dranzer wasn't there. Neither was Dragoon... or Galux... it was Tyson... 'And yes, you will...' and he hugged her, nothing else, just hugged her, and she cried, happy to be in his arms once again...  
  
But happiness doesn't always last...  
  
******************************************  
  
"Mariah?' she heard someone call. "Mariah? Are you alright?"  
  
"Who is it?" she asked, keeping her eyes tightly shut. "What do you want?"  
  
"It's me, Lee, and I would like to know if you're alright," the voice -now identified as Lee- said. "So, are you alright?"  
  
"I'm fine," she said, batting her eyes open. "Just contemplating on how I should knock your head it for waking me up."  
  
"That good of a dream, huh?" Lee asked, very little amusement in his eyes. "Well, now you're back in the real world, back with me and the rest of the Village." She could have smacked his head open; he was trying to make a pass on her...  
  
"Lee, could you by any chance, leave?" she asked brutally.  
  
"Sorry, this is my home, and my bed by the way," she really wanted to knock him out or something...  
  
"Mariah?" she heard someone chirp; she looked over, only to see Miranda with a sketch book in her hand. "Are you feeling better?"  
  
"Yeah Miranda, I am," she actually smiled a genuine smile. "What have you got there?"  
  
"A sketch book," Miranda gleamed, running up and plopping herself beside her on Lee's bed. "I saw my new friend in the market, and I talked to him for a bit. He said that he was going to go and visit a friend of his, but didn't know where he lived; so since Lee showed me around quickly, and I knew where he wanted to go, I showed him, and he gave me his spare sketch book. He doesn't have any sketches in it though, but I wanna try to draw!" The girl opened the book frantically, showing a flower. It looked nothing like it should, being 2D, but Mariah was touched that she was able to see it anyways.  
  
"It's beautiful," she said, truly thinking that the picture was great. "You did a great job."  
  
"It isn't that good, he drew better ones," Miranda chirped still, even though she was putting herself down. "The one he left at the airport has a girl in it too," she looked up at Mariah with wide eyes. "Hey! You're the girl from his picture!"  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked cheerfully; she hadn't bickered with a little child since, well, ever. "I doubt that your friend could have drawn me without knowing me."  
  
"But he must have, because it's you!" Miranda was jumping in her seat, looking quite happy. "I can't believe it! I met his love! Yay!"  
  
"His love?" she asked; she was confused. "What do you mean his love?"  
  
"I asked him about the picture," Miranda chirped innocently, settling down enough so that her hair was flying around. "And he said that it was of his love, and her guardian. And that the two animals represented there BitBeasts... But I forget they're names..."  
  
"That's alright..." she was, shocked, to say the least. "Um... could you... show me this, picture?"  
  
"Sure," Miranda chirped yet again, jumping from the bed. "I'll be back in a second!"  
  
"Love?" her head snapped up to look at Lee, only to see jealousy written all over his face. "Who is this guy?"  
  
"I don't know who it is Lee," she stated calmly. "And even if I did, it wouldn't be any of your business."  
  
"I'm your friend Mariah, you can trust me," Lee pleaded, practically begging to know.  
  
"No, I can't Lee," Mariah said sternly. "You kicked me off the team, remember? You and everyone else have to re-earn my trust."  
  
"What did you say?" Lee blabbed threateningly.  
  
"I said that *you* have to re-earn my trust, Lee," she hissed, her eyes narrowing. "So get it straight. You may be my friend, but that doesn't mean that I have to trust you."  
  
A little ball of energy ran back into the room and plopped herself back onto the bed.  
  
"I'm back!" Miranda chirped. "Did you miss me?"  
  
"Of course sweetie," Mariah smiled; Miranda was better company then Lee... "Can I see the picture now?"  
  
"Not until you guess the animals!" Miranda laughed, hugging the picture to her chest. "And remember, there are two!"  
  
"Okay..." Mariah smiled even more, pulling Miranda onto her lap. "Is there.... a bear?"  
  
"Nope, no bear," Miranda giggled, hugging the picture closer.  
  
"A monkey?" she was actually having a bit of fun.  
  
"Nope, not a monkey!" Miranda pulled the picture away from her chest for a second and took a peak, before hiding it away again.  
  
"It there a swan," Mariah said randomly, pulling this out as much as possible.  
  
"No silly! No swan!" Miranda laughed, almost dropping the picture, but hugging it to her chest just in time.  
  
"Okay," she thought of Galux... "What about a mountain lion?"  
  
"A what?" Miranda asked, cocking her head to the side in the cute little manner that she did before.  
  
"A mountain lion," Mariah smiled at her innocence. "It's a lion that lives in the mountains."  
  
"Oh... yes..." she said reluctantly, her eyes drooping for a second... then she remembered the other animal. "You have to guess the other one now!"  
  
Mariah was confused.  
  
Why would a mountain lion be in the picture?  
  
Was it a picture by Tyson?  
  
Tyson...  
  
"Is there a dragon?" Mariah croaked, her throat suddenly dry.  
  
"Yes," Miranda pouted cutely. "How did you guess?"  
  
"Miranda?" she asked. "Is there two people in the picture?"  
  
"How did you know?!?" Miranda pouted a little more, wanting the answer to her question.  
  
"Does one of the people have white scaly wings and is wearing a cloak?" she knew the answer, but she couldn't be sure...  
  
"Yeah, but how did you know?" Miranda genuinely wanted to know now.  
  
"By any chance," Mariah, didn't even see her, but him... "Is that friend of yours from the plane, is his name Tyson...?"  
  
"Mariah?" she snapped out of it just enough to look her in the eye. "How did you know?" 


	34. Tiger's Advice

Ello y'all! Just wanted to say hi before I started the Fic! Yeah well, I've been having writer's block for awhile... but it's coming up to the end of the story, and it's getting a little harder to think with the school work I have... oh, and I would also like to say to Shadow Cat that Tyson and Mariah not speaking to each other is the point right now; they're both afraid of the out come... Heehee......... hope y'all like the story! Bye!  
  
Tiger's Advice  
  
'Where does he live? God, I wish I was paying attention to the guys when they told me about White Tiger Valley...'  
  
Tyson aimlessly walked into what seemed to be the market. He looked around and saw many interesting things for sale.  
  
Fish...  
  
Charcoal...  
  
Papyrus paper sketch books...  
  
Fruit...  
  
Papyrus paper sketch books?  
  
He stopped short at the little stand, and looked at the sketch books. He pulled one off the stand, and flipped through it, and smiled.  
  
"Some things never change," he muttered, placing the book back down.  
  
"Like what?" a familiar voice said. Tyson whipped around, only to see little Miranda standing behind him.  
  
"Like the quality of sketch books," he smiled, and turned back to the stand. He picked up the sketch book again, and filtered through his pocket for a little change. Finally, he found the amount of money that he deemed worthy of the sketch book, put it on the counter, and turned to go back to Miranda.  
  
"Excuse me, sir?" the women behind the counter said. "That isn't the required amount for that book."  
  
"I'm sorry miss," he replied, not turning around. "But you stated the required amount for a 'papyrus paper' sketch book. The paper here is made of banana leaf. A common mistake, but this is worth much less." He decided now to turn around to look at her, and smiled. "Would you like me to pay full price anyway?"  
  
"No, no, no," the women smiled back at him. "Thank you for telling me. Now, you and your little friend run along now; bye."  
  
"Bye," he turned back to Miranda, and bent down and picked her up.  
  
"Where are we going?" she laughed out in delight.  
  
"I have really no idea," he breathed. "I don't know this place really well..."  
  
"Where do you want to go?" Miranda cocked her head to one side in the cute little way that only she can do.  
  
"A friend of mine's house, his name is Ray-" he started, but she didn't let him continue.  
  
"I know where that is!" she exclaimed, squirming out of his arms. "Lee showed me while we were walking home!" she started to run off, yelling over her shoulder. "Follow me!"  
  
Sighing, he quickly caught up to her, but to amuse her and himself, he stayed at least five steps behind her, listening to her call back for him to hurry up.  
  
Suddenly, she stopped, and Tyson was forced to jump over top of her, so that he didn't run her over.  
  
"Wow," she said, transfixed. "Can you do that again?"  
  
"I'd rather not," he snorted, standing up yet again; he stretched out toward the sky, hoping to get the little kink out of his back. "Now, where's Ray's house?"  
  
"Right here," yet another voice stated. He turned sharply, only to see Ray himself. "Wow Tyson, I never thought that you would come all the way here to see me; or should I say, Mariah?"  
  
"Shut up Ray," he hissed, and then bent down to face Miranda. "Here you go," he placed the banana leaf sketch book into her hands. "Now you get going home; I don't want your cousin worrying about you, alright?"  
  
"Alright," she brought her chibi little arms around his neck, and gave his a kiss on the cheek. "Good bye Tyson."  
  
"Never say good bye," he whispered to her. "It's like losing all hope. This is only bye."  
  
"Bye Tyson," she smiled, and turned and ran away.  
  
"Bye little princess," he whispered; he sighed, and stood up, ready to face Ray.  
  
"That was, interesting, to say the least," he could almost see the smirk on his face...  
  
"What's so interesting about it?" he snapped. "I met her on the plane that Kai and Aretha forced me onto."  
  
"Forced you onto?" Ray asked, as if trying to prove him wrong.  
  
"No Ray," he said sarcastically. "I'm here in White Tiger Valley because I thought I'd have a blast. Of course they forced me to come here!"  
  
"Come on in," Ray sighed, as if he was getting ready to explain something to a child. "I'll get you something to drink and you can tell me why you didn't just stay at the airport.."  
  
'Why didn't I just stay at the airport... I could have gotten the money to go back to Japan, Egypt even... but why did I come here?'  
  
"Coming Tyson?" Ray called from inside; Tyson followed his voice into the small house, only to see Ray sitting at a small square table with two chairs. "It's usually me and my mom here, but I'm sure that she won't mind having you around."  
  
Tyson nodded, and sat down across from him.  
  
"Tyson," Ray looked at the table, slowly tracing the wooden patterns with his fingers. "What are your feelings for Mariah?"  
  
Tyson, to say the least, was dumbstruck. He didn't know how to answer the question; so he sighed, and leaned back against the chair.  
  
"What are your feelings for Mariah?" Ray asked again, this time looking up at him.  
  
"Does it really matter?" he asked back.  
  
"Yes, yes it does," Ray said darkly. "Now tell me, what are your feelings for Mariah?"  
  
"It doesn't matter...." he said; the world started to echo...  
  
'It just doesn't matter anymore...'  
  
"It matters a lot Tyson!" Ray stood up, knocking his chair to the floor. "It matters to me! It matters to Mariah!"  
  
'She doesn't care... no one cares...'  
  
"It's doesn't matter..." he sighed, resting his head against the smooth surface of the wood.  
  
'If he doesn't know... if she doesn't know... then why would it matter...?'  
  
"Tyson, she loves you," Ray snapped, hitting his fists against the table. "Are you to blind to see that?"  
  
'Yes...'  
  
And his world disappeared into oblivion, as he went to the sweet lands of dreams...  
  
.... and Ray noticed the tears on his face.....  
  
*********************************************************  
  
He blinked open his eyes, only to see blackness...  
  
He closed them, and felt the tears streaked across his fair cheeks...  
  
He didn't have the will to bring himself to his realm...  
  
So he sat there, amidst the darkness, willing for life to end...  
  
And if he waiting long enough...  
  
It would...  
  
'Young Master?' a voice said. He opened his eyes, only to see that Drigger had come the be with him in the darkness.  
  
'Yes Drigger?' he said sadly, hoping that his eternal pain would soon end.  
  
'Go back to living world, or go to your realm,' Drigger said, curling himself around the boy, giving him a little heat. 'It is not healthy for you to stay here...'  
  
'You stay here,' he breathed, letting his eyes seep closed. 'Why can't I?'  
  
'Because,' Drigger whispered to the boy. 'These are the lands of darkness, the lands I must keep from going into the dream realms. You being here, can be disastrous for yourself...'  
  
'I don't care anymore Drigger...' he murmured, leaning heavily against the White Tiger. 'I just don't care... no one else does...'  
  
'The young Mistress does,' Drigger coed into his ear, curling tighter around the boy. 'And for you to be gone, would mean the end...' 


	35. Unexpected Darkness

Ello every body... okay, to early to open doors to 'The Land of my Profile'... I just ask u to help me with names for my Chibis... u know, Chibi Tyson and Chibi Mariah... well, me going now... have to write... god I need some coffee...  
  
-  
  
Unexpected Darkness  
  
-  
  
Miranda sat perked cutely at the edge of the bed, awaiting an answer from the Mountain Lion...  
  
An answer which she wasn't sure she could give...  
  
"I... um..." she tried to think of something to say to her; something that wouldn't give her secret love for him away...  
  
"Yeah Mariah," she truly wished that Lee could get over his jealousness... "How did you know it was Tyson?"  
  
"Because," she pushed away the covers that were overtop of her, and slumped out of bed. "I've met him." she stormed out of the room, avoiding meeting eye contact with either Lee or the little cherub Miranda.  
  
As soon as she left the small room, she grabbed her shoes and ran from the door, heading toward the forest... towards the mountains....  
  
No one there could judge her... there wasn't anyone to judge her....  
  
Just her and her thoughts... which continuously seemed to flood back to the ever mysterious dragon... her ever mysterious dragon... her Tyson....  
  
She stopped short on her run, tripping over her own feet and landing hard on the forest floor... but she just didn't care...  
  
She wanted the darkness to envelope her...  
  
She wanted to feel the realms of dreams...  
  
But none of that would come...  
  
None of that could come...  
  
She had forbid it...  
  
But, why...  
  
Why...  
  
"Why did this happen to me?" she sobbed silently, hoping to not attract the attention of anyone else. "Why did he have to come here?"  
  
'You wanted him to come here...'  
  
"No, I didn't," she fought an eternal battle of words... with herself.....  
  
'Admit it... you love him...'  
  
"I can't love him..." her will was again, breaking... "I can't love him..."  
  
'Yes you can... and yes, you do...'  
  
"No I don't!" she stood up, disregarding everything else. "I don't love him! He through me out, and now it would be impossible, if not the most foolish thing ever, if I loved him..."  
  
"My ma told me that people do foolish things when there in love," a voice said. She didn't even have to turn around to know who it was...  
  
"Kevin," she whispered. "What is it that you want?"  
  
"Isn't it ironic that I, the foolish little kid, am giving you information on love?" he sneered; he walked over to her and sat against a tree.  
  
"What is it you want Kevin," she glared at him.  
  
"Why would you care?" he smirked, knowing that he had cornered her... "You don't love him, remember? He through you out, remember?"  
  
"What is your point Kevin," she asked, fear seeping into her voice. "What happened?"  
  
"Do you really care?" he asked, looking up at her through his eyelashes. "Dose it matter enough for you to admit that you love him?"  
  
"And how do you know how I feel?" her eyes darkened, and her voice went dangerously low; but Kevin was determined to help two of his friends...  
  
"It's only so easy to see Mariah," he closed his eyes as he stood up, letting her know full well that he wasn't going to say anything until she admitted it; even if threatened by death...  
  
She sighed, and looked away...  
  
"Do you even know who I'm thinking of Kevin?" she asked, letting the threatening tears fall.  
  
"Tyson," he whispered. "You don't really think that I don't know about him, do you? I'm smarter then you all think. He holds himself in to much air to have been of normal heritage..."  
  
"You have a good eye Kevin," she whispered back... "But tell me, why does that matter? He would never love me anyways..."  
  
"Do you love him?" he asked, reminding her of Dragoon...  
  
"Yes," she whispered, collapsing within herself. "Yes... I do...."  
  
"Then go to him..." he whispered, hugging his friend. "Because he needs you right now..."  
  
"What happened?" she asked, suddenly standing up. "Where is he?"  
  
"He's with the elders," Kevin bowed his head, as if in respect for a dying man... "They said that there was nothing they could do..."  
  
And as he looked up, she was gone...  
  
And he knew that the fates would pay... 


	36. Fate and Destiny

Ello peoples!!! Me FINALLY updating!!!  
  
Chibis: *try to wake up Vern*  
  
Ami: if you're wondering what happened to him... me and my friend kurumi and all her muses talk to each other almost all the time.... and her Aibou Sakura and Vern got close... then there was this fight thing that started when she woke up the Chibis... and then she said that she wanted to kill him... and then she said that all she wanted was for him to hold her... and now he's all confused... and he sort of made her madder at him... and now he sulking on the cot... and Dusk disappeared somewhere... oh yeah; kurumi's muse Andy has this thing for Dusk and Dusk doesn't like Vern anymore because he said something REALLY stupid... now he just like a best friend of something... oh, and the chibis have names now!!! Chibi Tyson is LR (stands for Lil Romeo) and Chibi Mariah is LJ (stands for Lil Juliet)!!! well... me starting chapter now... Bye Bye!!!  
  
-  
  
Fate and Destiny...  
  
-  
  
Life lies here...  
  
'What do you want?'  
  
For you to come...  
  
'Okay...'  
  
Thank you...  
  
'No Young Master!! You mustn't go!!'  
  
'Why not Drigger?'  
  
'Because Young Master, he is Fate....'  
  
'Fate has been with me for a long time now... why should I stop trusting him now?'  
  
'Because, he wants you and the Young Mistress apart...'  
  
Come to me...  
  
'Please Young master! Listen to me!'  
  
'I'm sorry Drigger... I have to do this...'  
  
Follow my voice... come to me...  
  
There was warm light... blinding light...  
  
Come...  
  
'Please Young Master, don't go!'  
  
'I have to Drigger...'  
  
He passed into the light, leaving the lands of darkness... and Drigger... behind...  
  
'Good luck Young Master...' he heard Drigger say, sounding distant... like he was...  
  
Follow me...  
  
'Where are you?'  
  
Come to me...  
  
He pulled himself forward, readying himself for the worst...  
  
Before him was a lush land...  
  
A land of crystal...  
  
Come...  
  
'Where are you?'  
  
Just come...  
  
'Master?'  
  
He spun around, only to see...  
  
'Dragoon? What are you doing here?'  
  
'The question is, what are you going here?'  
  
'I was called here...'  
  
Come to me...  
  
'Don't go.'  
  
'Why not?'  
  
'That is Fate...'  
  
'So I've heard......... Why does it matter?"  
  
'Because... Fate takes upon a form that you know... the form that it agrees with...'  
  
Come!  
  
'What do you mean?'  
  
'Someone has an opinion about you that Fate liked, so he stool his form...'  
  
'Take me to him.'  
  
'I can't Master!'  
  
Do it!  
  
'Alright...'  
  
Dragoon sighed, and started along the crystalline path down the pearly white valley...  
  
'These are the realms that I guard,' Dragoon whispered, not turning. 'The Crystalline Gates allow Fate and Destiny to watch everyone... to deter mind what shall happen...'  
  
'Destiny?' he asked, not knowing what he was talking about. 'Who's Destiny?'  
  
I'm here...  
  
He froze... and turned... and saw...  
  
'Kevin?' he said, his eyes wide. The green haired boy shook his head.  
  
'I'm not Kevin...' he slowly disintegrated into the air. 'I'm Destiny...'  
  
'Come along Master,' Dragoon paused and turned to look at him. 'We must not keep the Fates waiting.'  
  
'Fates?' he quickly caught up to the Dragon. 'I thought there was only one fate.'  
  
'No,' Dragoon continued to walk briskly down the path, and Tyson noticed a few black diamond appear among the transparent crystals. 'There are three.'  
  
'Three?' he couldn't believe it... 'But, if Destiny is Kevin... who are the fates going to be?'  
  
At this, Dragoon turned around.  
  
'You saw Destiny?' he asked shakily. 'You actually saw Destiny?'  
  
'Yes,' he didn't know how lucky he was...  
  
'Destiny is here...' Dragoon closed his eyes... a blue light seemed to shimmer around him, as his outfit changed to that of a warrior... 'And war shall come...'  
  
'War?' he looked over Dragoon; his silken clothes replaced by gleaming Elven armor, two pearly white daggers at his belt, and a long, sickly white sword strapped on his back. 'Why is there war?'  
  
'Because,' Dragoon whispered to him, turning around and leading him farther into the maze of crystals; the odd black diamond appearing more and more. 'Destiny and Fate never cross... Destiny knows what shall happen, and Fate decides the pathway to be taken...'  
  
'But why does that mean war?' he asked innocently; Dragoon walked a little faster, the black diamonds now coming even more frequently. 'Why?'  
  
'Do not ask,' Dragoon whispered hoarsely. 'And keep quite; we are entering the domain of the Fates... the Night Realm...'  
  
'Night Realm?' he said, wondering about the name.  
  
It is named for the diamonds...  
  
'Who keeps saying that?' he asked aloud.  
  
Fate...  
  
'Master, please come,' Dragoon warned, walking faster still. 'I do not like it here, nor do I like you being here. If we do not get this done soon, you may have to join the war...'  
  
He didn't speak, only caught up with Dragoon...  
  
He watched at the number of crystals disappeared...  
  
He noticed that cascaded everywhere was the odd pure white diamond...  
  
He remembered Mariah...  
  
He remembered his love...  
  
'These are the caves of the protectors,' he heard Dragoon whisper.  
  
They entered the caves, and painted upon the walls her BitBeasts...  
  
Among all of , he saw Dranzer, perched on a wooden gate with vines growing around it, her human form standing delicately in a silver dress within it... carrying a silver bow as well...  
  
He saw Drigger, curled upon the top of a black steel gate, his human form standing boldly in front of it...  
  
He paused at Drigger's form... he had never seen Drigger as a human...  
  
He had black hair that fell to his shoulders with deep green tips, and he was dressed as an archer... he looked brave...  
  
He quickly caught up, and spied Draceil among the forms...  
  
She was in a pond, the gate on her shell... her human form also on her shell...  
  
He paused there as well...  
  
She had dark violent red hair with deep violet, purple, and blue tips; her hair was short, falling curling a little at the nap of her neck, and sticking out almost everywhere... her dress was a dark shimmering purple, and in bother her hands she held blades in a defensive position...  
  
Smirking, he caught up with Dragoon again.  
  
'See anything interesting?' Dragoon asked, once again speeding up.  
  
'Yes,' he smiled. 'I saw Dranzer, Drigger, and Draceil.'  
  
'You haven't noticed Dizzara then?' he asked, he slowed down and led him back a little bit. 'I would assume that you would have guessed this was her.'  
  
He pointed to a little dent in the cave wall. Inside it, there were pictures of books and scrolls, each pilled up or opened...  
  
And perched on a pile of books was a woman...  
  
She was wearing a flowing silver dress that showed off her shoulders nicely...  
  
Her chestnut-red hair flowed easily to meet the small of her back...  
  
And her smiling green eyes...  
  
'She is the Protector of Knowledge...' he whispered. 'And the only great beast without an animal form...'  
  
'Dragoon?' he asked, wanting to know something. 'How come I can't see the colours of anyone else's eyes?'  
  
'Because Fate loved her...' Dragoon smiled. 'And so did Destiny...'  
  
He nodded, and they slowly turned away, ready to head to their destination...  
  
I'm waiting...  
  
He continued to watch the cave walls, enjoying watching the Beasts there...  
  
All ready for battle...  
  
'We are almost there,' Dragoon whispered; suddenly, he stopped, and looked at his Master. 'Go beyond that bend, and you shall face the gates to the Halls of Fate...' then he turned around and started to leave. 'I cannot go farther then here... good luck, and good bye...'  
  
'Good bye Dragoon,' he whispered back.  
  
Sighing, he rounded the bend...  
  
'Young Master? What are you doing here?'  
  
'Galux?'  
  
She stood there, in her white dress, a bow resting on her back...  
  
He saw an image of a beast painted high above the gates...  
  
'You're the protector of these gates?" he asked, looking at her wide eyed.  
  
'Dragoon escorted you,' she breathed, opening the door. 'And you may pass...'  
  
'Thank you...' he didn't expect what he saw when he looked inside...  
  
The three Fates...  
  
Lee...  
  
....  
  
Nitra....  
  
....  
  
And...  
  
....  
  
Tyson... 


	37. No

Ello peoples!! Hmm... I would like some help... I want you all to give me 1 or more ideas, and I will choose the 3 I like the most, change 'em a bit, and put 'em in the story, okay?  
  
Vern: let them be.  
  
Dusk: yeah.  
  
Chibis: *play around with ball*  
  
Ami: hmm... Nah  
  
Vern: *rolls eyes* enjoy the chapter  
  
-  
  
No...  
  
-  
  
'No, no, no,' she kept repeating in her head. 'No, no, no, no, no, no...' It was like an endless mantra.  
  
"Mariah!" she distantly heard someone shout. "Mariah, slow down!! What happened!!"  
  
"Go away Lee!" she called back over her shoulder, the echo in her mind never seizing to exist. "Just leave me alone!!"  
  
She willed her body to go faster, and wished for Lee to disappear...  
  
'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no...'  
  
She heard voices mix and stir in with the chant...  
  
'I'll never leave you...'  
  
'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no...'  
  
'And I carried you here.'  
  
'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no...'  
  
'Until Next time, Egyptian Prince.'  
  
'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no...'  
  
'I drew that for a reason, just like I drew her for a reason...'  
  
'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no....'  
  
'Are you sure you don't want her to meet mother? 'Cause I think that she's the one...'  
  
'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no...'  
  
'I will NOT have a wedding with a girl that has not fallen in love with me!'  
  
'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no....'  
  
'That's right, go to sleep. Have sweet dreams...Little Angel'  
  
'No, no, no, no, no...'  
  
'Promise me you'll try...'  
  
'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no....'  
  
'When you're different, you're noticed, and when you're noticed, you never get a second to yourself...'  
  
'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no...'  
  
'I don't want to walk alone in the dark, all the way down that long, long hall...'  
  
'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no....'  
  
'I don't know what's going on between you and Tyson, but any friend of his, I trust.'  
  
'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no...'  
  
'I mean, why do I matter so much to you that you'd take the time out of the day to just draw me?'  
  
'No, no, no, no, no, no...'  
  
'I've never felt this way about anyone. Not even Ray...'  
  
'No, no, no....'  
  
'No, not happy; I'm beyond happy...'  
  
'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no...'  
  
'You shall pay dearly for all the things you've done to make my Ty forget me.'  
  
'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no....'  
  
'I'm part of Egypt Nitra, so if you want to harm her, harm me.'  
  
'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no...'  
  
'Everything...'  
  
'No, no, no, no...'  
  
'Change of personality Mariah?'  
  
'No, no, no...'  
  
'..... you already lost when you tried to win my heart...'  
  
'No, no, no, no, no, no....'  
  
'... he means everything to you...'  
  
'No, no, no, no, no....'  
  
'A prince who stole your heart...'  
  
'No, no, no, no, no...'  
  
'I cannot love him...?'  
  
'No, no, no, no.....'  
  
'Admit it... you love him...'  
  
'No, no, no...'  
  
'My ma told me that people do foolish things when there in love.'  
  
'No, no...'  
  
'Do you really care?'  
  
'No...?'  
  
'They said that there was nothing they could do...'  
  
"NO!!'  
  
And she stopped...  
  
She couldn't think anymore...  
  
Time froze her skin... its fist clenched around her beating heart...  
  
Beating she could feel... but not hear....  
  
She saw people around her walking... joking... talking....  
  
But she could not hear them...  
  
She felt the wind's gentle touch on her skin...  
  
But she could not hear its whisper....  
  
Then they started to disappear...  
  
The people faded into nothing, and the gentle caresses turned numb...  
  
The only thing she could see was the building...  
  
The building that he was in...  
  
Her Tyson...  
  
... her Ty....  
  
She felt her body start to move.  
  
She felt the gentle beat of her heart skip and falter.  
  
She felt everything...  
  
And everything else faded into nothing...  
  
Until her only goal was to get to the building...  
  
To get to him...  
  
The silence in her mind was unbearable... but she would go through anything to be with him...  
  
....anything...  
  
Behind her, two people stood...  
  
"Looks like you lost the battle Lee," the first person said to the second. "And I really don't think your going to win the war." 


	38. Sit or Fight?

Ello!! I'm finally getting rid of this nasty writers block!!  
  
Vern: finally...  
  
Ami: hey!! You ain't helping!! You're my muse!!  
  
Vern: so?  
  
Ami: you're exposed to tie me to the computer until I update and give me ideas and things like that so that the nice reviews don't have to wait; and all you've been doing is flirting!!  
  
Vern: so?  
  
Ami: I give up...  
  
-  
  
Sit or Fight?  
  
-  
  
'You're me...' he distantly heard himself say. 'I'm you...'  
  
'Come,' the First Fate said (Lee). 'We must judge.'  
  
'Judge?' he asked. 'Judge what?'  
  
'You,' the Second Fate said (Nitra). 'You must prove to us and the worlds that you do not love the one you call Mariah.'  
  
The Third Fate only spared him a sad look, and turned away.  
  
'But what if I don't want to be judged?' he asked them. 'What will you do then?'  
  
'Keep you here,' the First Fate replied. 'You will stay here until you're judged.'  
  
'Let the boy go,' another voice said. He whirled around, only to see Destiny, in the form of Kevin... 'This is not his realm; you risk his health keeping him here.'  
  
'I never knew you cared, Destiny,' the Third Fate hissed; he couldn't believe what he sounded like. It was; cold. 'You never cared before; the Fates have, not you.'  
  
'You have never listened,' Destiny smiled. 'Nor will you ever listen... So cast aside whatever the other Fates said, and help me in this battle.'  
  
'What's going on?' he asked. 'What are you all talking about?'  
  
'Never mind,' the First Fate said again; Destiny ignored him.  
  
'There shall be a battle Tyson,' he smiled at him. 'And hopefully, you'll be battling with me...'  
  
'What do you need my help with?' he asked, looking away. 'What will I do to help?'  
  
'Your help will decide everything,' Destiny whispered in his ear, startling him as to how close he got without him knowing. 'Without you, we are evenly matched,' he back off a step or two, making his whispers hard to hear, 'but with your decision on whether or not you except her love... will save you...'  
  
'What do you mean save me?' he asked, looking wide eyed at him.  
  
'They didn't tell you?' he glared at each of the Fates in turn, and he felt the full blow of the one directed at him... 'Did they?'  
  
No...  
  
Don't answer...  
  
It's a trick...  
  
'No, they didn't,' he decided that he trusted Destiny more then Fate. 'What do I have to do?'  
  
Destiny gave him a sad smile.  
  
'Sit or Fight?' he asked the Blue Haired Angel; the Little Dragon. 'Sit or Fight?' 


	39. What Can I Do?

Hey every one!! I would GREATLY like inspiration!!!  
  
Dusk: *yawn* your telling me...  
  
Ami: hey!! I had coffee!! Don't be so tired!!  
  
Vern: they're tired because Ami spent from 3pm to 11:30pm drawing a Chibi WITH an okay back round... and her friend that lent her the book thought it was only OKAY!!!  
  
Dusk: that little creep... I'LL KILL HIM!!!  
  
Ami: don't, he's my friend  
  
Dusk: BUT HE DISSED YOU!!!  
  
Ami: I ONLY started two days ago!! What can you expect??  
  
Vern: *rolls eyes* am I the only sane one here?  
  
-  
  
What Can I Do?  
  
-  
  
She froze in front of the door.  
  
She couldn't bear the silence...  
  
She wanted so much to just scream to herself to open the door and run to him...  
  
But she couldn't.  
  
Time's frozen fist had caught up with her...  
  
Forcing her to stop...  
  
Just like it numbed the touches...  
  
Faded her sight...  
  
Silenced her hearing...  
  
But something broke through...  
  
"Mariah?" she heard a faint whisper that boomed through her mind. "Go to him... love him."  
  
And the restraints cracked.  
  
Faintly, she could hear the people running.  
  
She could hear children laughing...  
  
...... or was that just a memory...  
  
She could feel a weak current of wind, blowing her hair fiercely over her shoulder...  
  
.... why hadn't she noticed before...  
  
Her vision had cleared enough that she could make out more then just the door...  
  
.... what thick dull lines that outlined the door...  
  
"Go Mariah," the voice said again; it was familiar... but she couldn't think right... "Go to your love..."  
  
The restraints cracked a little more, and she flung open the door, running down the hall as fast as she could.  
  
Dully, she could make out little blurs of colour...  
  
And she discovered that she had regained the ability to think... if only a little...  
  
'... Tyson.... where are you...'  
  
Another door stood boldly out in her sight, and she stopped in front of it.  
  
'.... I'm coming...'  
  
Being careful to be quite, she slowly pushed open the door, and crept inside.  
  
'... wait for me....'  
  
Inside, she saw the elders.  
  
They were all sitting around a single cot in the corner...  
  
'... I love you...'  
  
".... Tyson....."  
  
One of the elders looked up upon hearing her hoarse whisper.  
  
"Are you here to see the boy?" he asked just as softly; all she could do was nod. "Come."  
  
Carelessly, she stumbled over to the cot; the elders parted to let her through.  
  
"Tyson," she looked down at his paled face. "Tyson..."  
  
She couldn't help but let the few tears slip through her delicate lashes.  
  
"Come back," gently, she picked up the Dragon's hand, and caressed it against her cheek. "Please..."  
  
She closed her eyes, leaning down to rest her head on his chest.  
  
"Please..."  
  
The world grew a little darker.  
  
"I love you...."  
  
She slipped into it... embraced it...  
  
"... I love you...." 


	40. Simplest Battle

Ello y'all!! Wha' cha' all doing??? Well, my internet wasn't working before... AND I HAVE A BAND CONCERT IN AN HOUR!!!!!  
  
Vern: if you can't tell, she's nervous  
  
Dusk: *yawn* yeah  
  
Ami: you STILL tired?  
  
Dusk: *nods head*  
  
Vern: how much sleep have you been having Ami?  
  
Ami: a lot actually  
  
Vern: strange...  
  
-  
  
Simplest Battle  
  
-  
  
'Sit or fight?'  
  
The words seemed to echo eternally in his mind.  
  
He looked at Destiny up and down slowly, trying to find some hint as to what he should say.  
  
Distantly, he heard sobbing, but he forced his mind to ignore it.  
  
What he heard next was unmistakable.  
  
Himself...  
  
'Why did you bring her here?' he heard himself hiss.  
  
'To prove once and for all that he doesn't love her,' it was Lee's voice, but he knew it was the First Fate.  
  
'Yes Lone One, she's here to help us,' that was Nitra... but who was the 'Lone One'?  
  
Was it himself?  
  
He dared to turn around, looking slowly.  
  
He noticed all the little details everywhere.  
  
How there was 15 steps, half way of which, sat the Second Fate, Nitra.  
  
Up above the landing, there was a plain wooden throne, where sat the First Fate, Lee, glaring.  
  
And leaning against the throne was himself...  
  
What else he saw he couldn't believe...  
  
In the Fate's arms, his own arms, was the faint image of her, slowly materializing in front of his eyes...  
  
'Mariah?' he couldn't lift his eyes from her; he noticed that she wouldn't open her eyes. 'What have you done to her?'  
  
'She is asleep,' the First Fate said. 'She is only here to prove a point, she will not know anything.'  
  
'He is risking her health just to prove a point Tyson,' it wasn't who the Little Dragon would think would have said it; the Third Fate. 'You yourself might die if you don't leave soon; he is risking her dieing just to prove Destiny wrong.'  
  
'I knew you would see it my way Lone One,' he didn't have to turn his head to know that Destiny was smiling. 'Now, come.'  
  
'He will not,' the First Fate glared at him and Destiny in turn. 'He stays with us.'  
  
Finally pulling his loving gaze away from his beloved, he looked at Destiny.  
  
'What are you all talking about?' he asked softly.  
  
Don't trust him...  
  
Trust us...  
  
'Only two Fats share the equal opinion,' Destiny's smile grew. 'The third is always known as the Lone one, cause he -or she- always takes the form and opinion of the person whom must be judged themselves, making his -or her- opinion hard to determine.'  
  
He lies!!  
  
'Then he should come,' he whispered, closing his eyes.  
  
'He cannot,' he heard Destiny say. 'For he is the Lone one, and he only controls his own opinion, and thought.'  
  
He turned around briskly, looking up toward the Fates.  
  
Walking forward, slowly at first, he pieced together his courage to climb the steps.  
  
After what seemed to be a lifetime, he placed his foot on the first.  
  
In a rush, everything sped up, and soon, he was looking himself in the eye.  
  
'Give her back,' he said protectively. 'I will not let you be used to hurt her.'  
  
'You must still be judged,' the First Fate stared up at him. 'Now, get down from here and say you do not love her!'  
  
'You cannot tell me what to say!' he did something that astonished even himself; he punched Fate.  
  
He punched Lee.  
  
And as long as he got Mariah, he didn't care.  
  
'Well done,' he snapped his head to the side, only to see his love enveloped in light. 'Take her... you have won...'  
  
The light vanished, and she started to fall.  
  
Rushing forward, he caught her, pulling her to his chest as he let himself fall to the floor and lean on the chair.  
  
'You looked the great fate in the eye and punched him,' someone said amusedly; he turned his head, only to see Destiny again. 'You have single handedly proven that you lover her; don't let anyone, even yourself, change your mind.'  
  
Alls he could do was smile, and look down at the face of an angel...  
  
Pushing a soft strand of hair delicately behind her ear, he whispered three little words...  
  
'.... she's the one...' 


	41. Forever in Your Amrs

Ello!! I'm sad to say this shall be the last chapter...  
  
Dusk: yeah...  
  
Vern: oh well!!  
  
Ami: *sniffles* my first Ficlet... over... *starts bawling eyes out*  
  
Vern: ain't you going to write another one?  
  
Ami: oh yeah!!! I'm going to write a sequel!!!  
  
-  
  
Forever in Your Arms  
  
-  
  
She slowly woke up, feeling his arms around her...  
  
She didn't dare open her arms, in case it was another dream...  
  
She felt the arms tighten around her...  
  
"I know your awake Mariah," she heard him murmured against her hair. "You don't have to pretend."  
  
Softly, she blinked her eyes open, expecting to see hatred in his eyes...  
  
She didn't expect what she saw...  
  
Love.  
  
"Your okay," she whispered, as if not believing it. "Your okay..."  
  
"Yeah, I'm okay," he smiled at her, causing little bolts of lightening to volt down her spine.  
  
What he did next was just as unexpected...  
  
He kissed her...  
  
Slowly, her eyes fluttered closed as she deepened the kiss, wanting nothing more then for it to last forever...  
  
But not everything you want, you get...  
  
Soon, the undying temptation for air forced them to break loose of their slice of heaven, and the just stared into each others eyes...  
  
That was when she noticed what position she was in...  
  
They were still on the cot, but someone must have placed her up on it beside him...  
  
She was lying on his chest, her hand entwined in his silky hair behind his neck...  
  
Her head was tucked into the hollow of his neck before she opened her eyes...  
  
She blushed furiously, and tried for a moment to push away, but stopped when he only held her tighter.  
  
"And where do you think your going?" he asked huskily.  
  
"Your fine now..." she diverted her eyes, thinking that she would soon be rejected again anyways... "You don't need me..."  
  
She didn't see his frown, but she did feel him hold her even tighter still.  
  
"Why would I be fine is if don't have you?" he mumbled, nuzzling his nose against her ear. "Why should I live without you?"  
  
Her breathe hitched in her throat, and she looked him in the eye again.  
  
All she saw was truth...  
  
Feeling joy wrap around her, she brushed her lips against him, and whispered something upon them...  
  
"I love you..."  
  
And he only said one thing in return...  
  
"I love you... too..."  
  
All she could do was smile.  
  
"Forever together," he whispered, leaning in a little more.  
  
"Forever..." she smiled, leaning in to kiss him more, then pulling back to speak. "Forever in your arms..."  
  
Nothing else was said between them, as the world around them disappeared, and all they knew, felt, saw, touched, hear, and tasted was each other...  
  
And two people looked in on them through the door and talked briefly.  
  
"I told you that you would lose Lee," the first said to the second.  
  
"Oh shut up Kevin," the second said to the first.  
  
~Owari 


End file.
